“Great Is Diana of the Ephesians!” (and the Hindus of the Greek "Orthodox"!)

Folks, this is something I didn’t want to see pop up in my email.  But pop up it did. 

Having said that, it’s also something I didn’t want to have to bring to your attention. I found it disturbing.  

So, what’s with the title?  Originally, I wanted to go with, “The GOA Continues Its Downward Trajectory,” but at this point, that would be like shooting fish in a barrel.  Instead, I held off and the entire time I was at Church, all I could think about was this passage from the Book of Acts 24-29: 

At least she has her eggs all in one place.

And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way.  24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen.  25 He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: “Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade.  26 Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands.  27 So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and [f]her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.” 28 Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” 29 So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord…

Acts 19:28 is the kill shot.

But this is egregious.  His Grace Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzen (another extinct diocese somewhere within the borders of “The New Rome”), represented the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese at the “consecration” of America’s largest Hindu temple in New Jersey.   Here

The word “consecration” is one of the most impactful words in the Church.  It’s the act of  declaring something sacred.  Like declaring bread and wine are the body and blood of Christ.  Or in this case, declaring this idol (photo below) is sacred:   

So what does Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzen hope to declare with respect to a Hindu Temple?   And what does this have to do with Orthodoxy?  (I mean other than the pan-heresy of ecumenism?)

Or is that the point?  That it has nothing to do with Orthodoxy.  In other words, perhaps Patriarch Bartholomew thinks so little of Orthodoxy, he’s looking to replace it.

By his presence, the good bishop is implicitly declaring there are polytheistic religions as well as  monotheistic ones.  The one Ultimate Reality or Supreme Being (Brahman) also exists simultaneously in the deities of the Creator (Brahma) as does the Sustainer (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva).  As well as the thousands of other gods that comprise the Hindu pantheon.  (See the colorful picture of them all.) 

Did you get all that? Because if you asked Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzen, I doubt he will be able to repeat it, let alone explain it.  That’s what happens when you play make believe at the top with Bartholomew.  Nothing from the top down makes sense.

Defining God as a close cousin to a cow is a rather startling concept even for him. 

But, hey, if Bartholomew and his merry men want to worship cows as sacred symbols of life I guess that should be OK.  They’re already heretics so that’s nothing new.  If he asks us to venerate a cow as opposed to the Theotokos, would you do it?  Seems to me you’d have to.  Remember, to consecrate means to set aside as being holy.  If they consecrate a Hindu temple, their belief system comes with it.  The mere thought makes me want to vomit, but if Bartholomew is on board with the consecration of Hinduism, which he must be, I will, of course, expect him to see him kiss a cow. 
(Gail and I will pass.) 

Because if he doesn’t, he will show the god (small “g”) he has worshiped and set aside for 30+ years is, well, is him.  Slightly better than a cow, perhaps, although this could be debated. 

This particular consecration has nothing to do with Hinduism and everything to do with Bartholomew.  He’s always shouting, “Look at me!  Look at me!  I am the great I Am!  I can turn Orthodoxy into nonsense!” 

This post is meant to raise the question as to whether Bartholomew knows what he’s doing.  That goes double for the other bishops in his patriarchate.  If you were to ask him what our core beliefs have in common with a Hindu he would probably say, “Aside from the fact that they worship  a cow, and we worship Christ, everything else is about the same.”  It isn’t, of course.   Did you get what I said?   They worship a cow and we don’t!    

NOT ORTHODOX. Cows are honored during Gopastami, a “Cow Holiday” held yearly in India.

This is the kind of weirdness that ensues when you try to bundled everything up into one big happy package. 

The Orthodox are NOT Hindu.  Neither are we Catholic, Anglican or Lutheran.  But from Bartholomew’s bottom-up philosophy, he’s the top dog, it’s his patriarchate, he’s the “Mother” of everyone and we’re not.  Nuff said.   

Years from now, someone is going to pull out one of his pieces of paper that says we’re tied to the Hindus because we consecrated their holy place.  Did they leave Antemins hidden there somewhere?  Probably.    

ORTHODOX: The birth of Jesus Christ is honored every year.  Even the cattle bow down to Him.  See the difference?

For what it’s worth, the picture of Athenagoras standing tall on the dais with all the other religious leaders alone says a thousand words.  As for those who still don’t get it, go back and reread the passage from Acts above. 

Lord have mercy.  

P.S.  They’re getting ready to build a Mormon temple in Tulsa.  Should we extend an invitation to the GOA as well?