For this current roundtable, we have been asked, “What are your thoughts on exorcisms?” I actually perform a number of exorcisms each and every year. That’s because everyone who is received into the Church also receives an exorcism. That’s not something our parish came up with; it’s something that Orthodox Christians have been doing for at least 1800 years.
Protestants
Do Animals Have Souls?
Being Single; Being Christian
So another Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and, once again, you just stood on the sidelines and watched while everyone else did all the romance stuff. You watched while everyone else did the special date thing and the traditional flower thing and the surprise getaway thing because you don’t have anyone in your life right now—and, honestly, as the years slip by faster and faster, you’re wondering if you’re ever going to find true love. You’re wondering if you’re maybe looking at a lifetime’s worth of Valentine’s Days all by yourself.
Friendship
For this roundtable, Ashley the Editor asks, “Should you form strong relationships with those who have different religious views than you?” Since we columnists are encouraged to keep these reflections to about 800 words, I’m going to interpret the phrase “strong relationships” as a reference to friendship.
Christian Time and Christian Identity
So this coming Sunday is January 1, 2017 but, while most American Christians will be celebrating New Year’s Day, we Orthodox will be celebrating the Feast of the Circumcision, because we celebrated the beginning of the New Year back on September 1st of 2016. Which, for most of you, is going to just be further evidence that we Orthodox Christians are totally weird, but, in our current culture, weird isn’t a bad thing to be.
Getting Better, Getting Healed
Our columns for The Hill Country News are due on the Wednesday before they actually appear in the paper. So, I’m writing this article on November 1, one week before the election. But even though I don’t know which candidate is going to win, I do know how it’s all going to end. It’s going to be disappointing.
Too Much Religion
For this roundtable, Ashley the Editor wants us to write about whether religion is an appropriate basis for political belief. Of course, there is no such thing as generic religion; however, in the United States, there are lots and lots of very specific religions. But since I cannot answer for the Sufi Muslims or the Zen Buddhists or the neo-pagans out there, I’m going to address the question from the perspective of Orthodox Christianity. And from the perspective of this Orthodox priest, there is currently way too much religion in our politics.