I really need your opinion. Would you like to read more quotes, miracles, biographies, about other religions, convert stories or sth else?
I am waiting for your comments :)
God bless you all!
Hey, I am currently studying this festival at school for my Religious Education class, could you shed some light on this for me? & also why in the story the nuns were turned into snakes when in religion the snake can be seen to represent evil.Thanks!
Hello lancerboy !
Sure, I’ll tell you more about the Holy Snakes of Theotokos.
Snakes venerate the Theotokos the 15th of August
The phenomenon of the Holy Snakes of the Virgin Maryhas been occurring for centuries during the festivities to the Theotokos between August 5 and August 15 in the village of Markopoulo on the island of Kefalonia, Greece.
The small black snakes appear at the church of Panagia of Langouvarda on the site of a monastery, established as a nunnery and dedicated to Our Lady of Langouvarda.
The myth about these snakes is attached to the year the monastery was attacked by pirates in 1705. The nuns prayed fervently to the Virgin Mary for protection and were subsequently transformed into the snakes to avoid being taken as prisoners.
The snakes have a small cross on their head and their tongues are also in the shape of a cross. They are known to belong to the Telescopus fallax species, also known as the European Cat Snake, and they appear in and around the courtyard of the church, on the walls and on the bell tower. The snakes show no fear while the services are held and are harmless during the festivities. As soon as the Liturgy concludes on the 15th of August, they become hostile and aggressive and disappear back into the wilderness of the area. The snakes cannot be found until the following year.
The inhabitants of the villages consider them to be holy, collecting them and setting them on the silver icon of the Virgin of the Snakes (Panagia Fidoussa). It has been documented by the locals that during World War II and the year of the island’s destructive 1953 earthquake in August, the snakes failed to appear. The locals now use this as a sign that if the snakes do not show just before the 15th of August that something bad is imminent.
(alsoo see Greek web-page: http://orthodox-world.pblogs.gr/2008/07/h-panagia-h-fidiwtissa-sthn-kefalonia-to-thayma-me-ta-fidakia.html)*
* you can translate this with Google Translator
About the myth, there are two versions: 1) The nuns are transformed in snakes, 2) Theotokos send snakes and they surround the monastery in order to prevent the nuns. But, to me, the myth doesn’t matter as much as the fact that the snakes continue to appear since then.
As far as your question about evil and snakes, yes, snakes are a symbol for evil, but not nesesserily in this case.
Anyway, I hope that I helped, and I promise that I’ll search more about your questions and answer you as soon as possible. It would be nice if you activate your ask box :)
This happened when an old lady died. In this photo you can see a light like cross. There is not a window thereby. As the blogger of diefxontonagion.blogspot has written, none of the people who were there saw the light.
What’s your opinion? Is this a miracle?
This is a song of Jamster (Seraphim), a Christian Orthodox rapper. Do you think that Holy Hip-Hop is something that appropriate for Orthodox Christianity?
Personally, I believe that Orthodox Hymns are absolutely great and full of emotions. Songs like this one are nice because many young people listen this kind of music, so youth is possible to approach our religion because of this. I am not saying that we have to worship God with those songs, but if young people like them I don’t think it is a bad idea to listen to them.
What do you think?
Today I wanted to ask you your opinion about Good Friday Lementations. This video is in Greek because I couldn’t find so nice a version in eglish. If you are not Orthodox and you haven’t listened it please do it and describe your feelings. Do you feel something different?
Personally when I listen to it, even it is not Easter I am crying. Every Good Friday you’ll see people in Church crying when they hear it. I believe that Good Wednesday and Good Friday are the most moving days.
So what’s your opinion? Do you feel more peacefull?
PS. Here you can find out more about Orthodox Easter: http://lent.goarch.org/holy_friday/learn/
Hello my friend!
I’ll answer to your question with an extract from an article titled: “What on Earth is the Orthodox Church?”
………..
A Brief History
The Orthodox Church is the original Christian Church, the Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ and described in the pages of the New Testament. Her history can be traced in unbroken continuity all the way back to Christ and His Twelve Apostles.
Incredible as it seems, for over twenty centuries she has continued in her undiminished and unaltered faith and practice. Today her apostolic doctrine, worship, and structure remain intact. The Orthodox Church maintains that the Church is the living Body of Jesus Christ.
Many of us are surprised to learn that for the first 1000 years of Christian history there was just one Church. It was in the eleventh century that a disastrous split occurred between Orthodox East and Latin West. Although it had been brewing for years, the so-called “Great Schism” of 1054 represented a formal—and shocking— separation between Rome and Orthodoxy. At the core of the controversy were two vitally important areas of disagreement: the role of the papacy, and the manner in which doctrine is to be interpreted.
One writer has compared Orthodoxy to the faith of Rome and Protestantism in this basic fashion: Orthodoxy has maintained the New Testament tradition, whereas Rome has often added to it and Protestantism subtracted from it.
For example, Rome added to the ancient Creed of the Church, while numerous Protestant Churches rarely study or recite it. Rome has layers of ecclesiastical authority; much of Protestantism is anti-hierarchical or even “independent” in polity. Rome introduced indulgences and purgatory; in reaction, Protestantism shies away from good works and discipline.
In these and other matters, the Orthodox Church has steadfastly maintained the Apostolic Faith. She has avoided both the excesses of papal rule and of congregational independence. She understands the clergy as servants of Christ and His people and not as a special privileged class. She preserved the Apostles’ doctrine of the return of Christ at the end of the age, of the last judgement and eternal life, and continues to encourage her people to grow in Christ through union with Him. In a word, Orthodox Christianity has maintained the Faith “once for all delivered to the saints.”
………..
There are much more information about Orthodoxy, it was just an introduction! You can find more if you visit these links:
1. http://www.gettoknowtheoriginal.net/
2.. http://www.antiochian.org/discover
3. http://journeytoorthodoxy.com/
4. http://www.orthodoxanswers.org/
God bless you!☦
I just wanted to ask you if you think that Orthodoxy is unique.
-If you are an Orthodox Christian, please tell us what made you to be a Christian Orthodox..? Is there a reason that you are proud of your decision to become Orthodox?
-If you belong in another Dogma (eg. Catholic, Protestant, etc..) or in another religion, do you think that Orthodoxy is special for a reason? (Eg. miracles, teaching, monasticism, etc..) What is your opinion of Orthodoxy?
