Cyprus-Forum.com

[Bananiot]

According to the Greek Orthodox religious calender, today is Megali Pempti (Great or Holy Thursday). It is not just any Thursday but a special one, a great one. All mass media refer to it as such and in fact all the days of this week have been christened as such. Great!

The church is dominating our lives in Cyprus (and Greece, I presume). We have adapted the Jewish mythology and have taken it one step higher. Priests and theologists that abounded and are on talk shows almost every night and nobody dares tell them to shut it and find a proper, productive jobs that will be really beneficial to society at large.

This time of the year I feel miserable. "Serious" people tell us that the candles light up by themselves mysteriously in some cave in Jerusalem and of course this only for the Orthodox, and this is ample proof that ours is the only right religion. They force upon us numerous such unexplained phenomena (miracles) in order to stem any tendencies to doubt the authenticity of our God.

Normally, as people grow older, they tend to move closer to god, for many, just in case he (she?) exists. I find myself moving further away and feeling extremely sore about it, for as Piratis constantly, reminds us, the truth always lies with the majority opinion.

Christianity and other religions have created recrimination and guilt to humanity. This is their legacy. Religious wars are never ending, all over the world, with millions of people perishing in the name of god.

Just to end my mumbling, on this very confusing "Great" day. What makes me really miserable is the knowledge that we live in a theocratic state. The church of Cyprus can get away for not paying taxes on the business deals that run into millions. If the average person in the street does not pay taxes he will end up in prison. The state is politely asking the church to come to negotiations to solve this problem. The church sticks its middle finger to the state.

Our so called socialist party of EDEK openly supports the spiritually empty Archbishop on this. Then, I find out that the brother of the Archbishop is an important cadre of EDEK in Paphos. Probably a lot of church money goes into this party through the back door. Politically, our socialists are in full agreement with the church. Especially on the Cyprob.

Our President, instead of taking an oath to uphold the constitution, he takes an oath on the holy trinity and all these, always in the presence of the Archbishop. Young kids cross themselves as they pass outside any church and new church are sprouting like mushrooms in all neighbourhoods. Each one costing more than building two schools would cost.

Evolution is still not taught in schools and Education Minister Dr Andreas Demetriou was shocked the other day when he visited a top school in Nicosia and watched a biology lesson. It happened that the day was the day for the 200 years of the birth of Darwin. He asked them if they knew about this day. Of course nobody knew (not even their teacher, probably). He told them and then he was asked "who is Darwin?". He tried to explain and the only response he got from a pupil was "is he the joker that claims we came from monkeys?"

The church rules in Cyprus supreme. Even if we do not notice it! Cannot get more miserable.

[miltiades]

I begun to question the church and its teachings following the earthquake of 1953 .
I begun to question the concept of a creator from that very early age and year by year any doubts that existed as to the creators existence have vanished for ever , having been mentally tested with the illness and eventual death of my wife I can say that not for one second did I or my wife wavered from our faith that there is no God.
Indeed you can have faith but not spiritual , humanitarian , faith in the goodness of those dedicated to caring and looking after the less well off in health either physical or mental , caring for children in need such as I and my brothers and sister were following the death of our mother in the earthquake of 1953 . I remember my time in the Limassol orphanage very well and I do not recall being in receipt of any care , love , or attention from any church priest or any religious organization. The orphanage would take us children to the church every Sunday , but I never recall the church offering any financial or otherwise assistance to the home for the benefit of the orphans.
Those that I remember with much respect are the English mums who would daily stroll by always having some little treats for us , I also remember our first Christmas and the party toys and treats given to us , yes you guessed it by the English.

Some years back I listened to a Cypriot radio station's speech by a G/O priest while driving from Limassol to Nicosia. This ...holy man was denouncing civil weddings referring to the woman as a whore !!!!
May ...God have mercy on his soul !!

[Gasman]

Megali Pempti (Great or Holy Thursday)

What??

It's EOKA Day 'innit?

Renamed more politically sensitively to Cyprus National Day or summat, but it's still EOKA Day. And Greek flags will be out in force.

Read an interesting article about all these 'commemorations' recently. I will go find it.

Written by a Cypriot, a GC at that, as I recall! So not to be rubbished by O in the first two seconds lol!

[Bananiot]

It just happens this year to be EOKA day as well. Normally, Easter is a couple of weeks later. The week before easter Sunday is called "holy" in english and "great" in greek. But, this was not the essence of what I was trying to say.

[Gasman]

Talk on 1st October, Day of the Independence of Cyprus
English School (presented on 5-10-2009)
Yiannis Papadakis, University of Cyprus

http://tinyurl.com/ygbagc5

Greek Cypriots, from what I read, tried to do a one-up on the Greeks. If the Greek day of Independence combined two meanings, they would go for three. According to a Greek Cypriot historian, Stavros Panteli (Panteli 1985: 271), Makarios wanted the struggle of EOKA to start on 25th of March 1955 – the beginning of the Greek War of Independence, the beginning of God on earth, and the beginning of the Struggle for Union with Greece, all in a single day. How cooler could it be! Sadly, due to unforeseen events, it had to start a week later. A stroke of bad luck then, made this commemoration coincide, out of all days, with April 1st, a date famous worldwide for rather less glorious reasons.

[Gasman]

It just happens this year to be EOKA day as well. Normally, Easter is a couple of weeks later. The week before easter Sunday is called "holy" in english and "great" in greek. But, this was not the essence of what I was trying to say.

OK. I will have a little read about the 'holy' version! But I have no time for organised religion and find even the very sight of those GO priests very scary!

[Me Ed]

Every one is entitled to their opinion and if it makes you miserable, mores the pity.

I for one fully intend to experience of joy in sharing this very special time of the year with my fellow members of the community.

I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with my brothers and sisters in Church on Saturday morning and sing and proclaim "CHRISTOS ANESTI!!" and then shake the hand of each and every one of them.

Then on Sunday morning, straight after mass, friends and family will congregate where we will have our traditional soup, flaounes and crack eggs - happy times!

Of course its then BBQ and beers in the afternoon!

[Get Real!]

He told them and then he was asked "who is Darwin?". He tried to explain and the only response he got from a pupil was "is he the joker that claims we came from monkeys?"

[Oracle]

The good thing is Bananiot, you are free to convert to Islam and you won't be sentenced to death by the GO "fanatics".

As religions go, Orthodoxy guides towards a relatively good way of life.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

[Gasman]

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

Isn't that the mantra of Alcoholics Anonymous?