Byzantine, Texas

H/T: Lessons from a Monastery

Make no mistake. The Philippines is a contested country. The Greek Metropolis that also has parishes there has no problem "excommunicating" the Russian Church's priests and laity operating in the country. It's a sad situation, but also moving and uplifting to see so many baptisms and conversions going on all the time there. ( Mospat.ru ) - On March 24, 2016, the working group for organizing, coordinating and supporting the Russian Orthodox Church’s missionary work in the Philippines met for its second session at the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations (DECR). The working group has been established by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The meeting, which was chaired by Metropolitan Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, was attended by Bishop Anthony of Bogorodsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate office for institutions abroad, Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman, Hegumen Serapion (Mitko), deputy head of th...

( Mospat.ru ) - The Russian Orthodox Church and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association have come out as initiators and organizers of a World Summit of Christian Leaders in Defense of Persecuted Christians to take place from October 28 to 30, 2016, in Moscow. It is planned that the Summit will bring together about one thousand delegates from over one hundred fifty countries. The reason for holding such a large-scale event is the mass persecution of Christians of the Middle East, Africa and other regions in the world, unprecedented in modern history and ranking with the persecution of Christians in the first centuries and the mass repression by the atheistic authorities in the 20 th century. So large-scale evil deeds cannot be ignored by the Christian community. The Russian Orthodox Church and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association seek to make the forthcoming Summit a platform for a comprehensive discussion on this problem with the aim to change the situation for the better...

( Mospat.ru ) - On 29 March 2016, the first meeting of the Pan-Orthodox Secretariat of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church began at the Orthodox Centre of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Chambésy, near Geneva, under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Jeremiah of Switzerland (Patriarchate of Constantinople). The Pan-Orthodox Secretariat was established in compliance with a decision of the Synaxis of Primates of the Local Churches held in Chambésy on January 21-28. Each generally recognized autocephalous Church delegated one representative to make up the Secretariat. According to the decision of the Synaxis, the Secretariat has the following tasks: To post the texts that are on the Council’s agenda and were adopted by the pan-Orthodox pre-Council conferences and the Synaxes of the Primates, on a special web page created for that purpose; To inform the mass media, with the assistance of special advisers, about the proceedings and goals of the Council; To provide, ...

( UOC-USA ) - With the blessing of the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (UOC of USA), a new blog site has been established on the Internet, titled 'Stewardship Concepts Today' The purpose of the Stewardship Concepts Today is to serve as a rich education resource and discussion portal for members of the UOC of USA, to allow us all to explore the deep spiritual roots of Orthodox stewardship, especially in our Ukrainian Orthodox tradition, and its practical application in our personal and parish lives. The blog will allow members of the UOC and guests to share their experiences and insights on how we can better inform ourselves about sound stewardship practices and put them into practice. We have a number of blog posts ready to go, Ms. Lisa Ryan (Ss Peter and Paul, Carnegie) and Mr. Mark Host (St. Vladimir's, Parma)have graciously offered some initial articles on this key topic, from a lay perspective. Additional posts from Fr. Robert Holet, Director o...

There is a bit of cursing here, which might be arresting, but so should the vapidness of trying to cover over the yawning chasm in our lives with the thin veneer of modern spiritualism. So, if a curse word or seven is going to offend you, please don't watch this video.

( Coventry Observer ) - The prestigious Coventry Cross of Nails has been awarded to UK Coptic Bishop. Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK was presented with the award during the Easter Sunday service. The Coventry Cross of Nails is recognised throughout the world as a symbol of peace and reconciliation. Although it has been awarded to hundreds of charities and organisations over many years, it is only rarely presented to individuals. It is identical to the cross regularly worn by the Bishop of Coventry, the Dean and Canons of Coventry Cathedral, the Bishop of Warwick and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The cathedral said Bishop Angaelos is widely known for his extensive advocacy work. As a result he was conferred with an OBE by Her Majesty the Queen, for ‘Services to International Religious Freedom’ in October 2015. A catehdral spokesperson added: “He frequently issues statements and comments relating to current religious and minority issu...

Johannesburg ( News24 ) – Two South African priests onboard the Egypt flight that was hijacked this morning are now safe, the Greek Othodox Church confirmed on Tuesday. Speaking to News24 on Tuesday Father Gerassimos Venturas from the church said Archbishop Damaskinos of Johannesburg and Pretoria and newly appointed Bishop Nicodimus Boulaksis were safe. Venturas said the duo left Johannesburg last Monday for Egypt with Nicodemos ordained as a bishop last Sunday. “We thank God that these men are now free. We always kept our faith and prayed for their freedom. We never gave up hope that God would keep them safe.” Venturas said members of the church were taken aback by the news of the hijacking. “We were in a big shock when we learnt they were on the same flight. But you can never lose hope in God and we are now thankful.” According to Venturas, the men are now safely in Cyprus, Greece. “I had chatted to them earlier and they were quite tired and needed to take a bit of a r...

ITHACA ( The Onion ) - NY—In an ambitious attempt to revive a population long considered to be on the brink of extinction, scientists announced Friday they have slowly begun to reintroduce normal, well-adjusted human beings back into society. According to officials at Cornell University, where for the past 18 years conservation researchers have operated an enclosed sanctuary for humans who are levelheaded and make it a habit to think before they speak, the endangered group is being cautiously reintegrated into select locations nationwide in hopes that they can reestablish permanent communities and one day thrive again. “We’ve worked for years to stabilize our society’s dwindling population of sane, generally reasonable people, and within the safe confines of our refuge we’ve finally seen their numbers start to bounce back a little,” said Josh Adelson, head of the Cornell research team, which moved the remaining members of the group into a protected habitat in 1998 to keep them ...

Prayers for Fr. Gerasim as he moves into another chapter after this unexpected decisions. He's a good and faithful servant to Christ and His Church who will continue to shepherd regardless of where he goes next. ( OCA ) - The members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America elected His Grace, Bishop Alexander of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese to fill the vacant See of Dallas and the South during their Spring Session here on Tuesday, March 29, 2016. Bishop Alexander succeeds His Eminence, the late Archbishop Dmitri, who in retirement fell asleep in the Lord at the age of 87 on August 28, 2011. A letter addressed to the clergy of the Diocese of the South, signed by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, reads as follows. “Dearly Beloved in the Lord: I am pleased to inform you that the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, at its session held in Oyster Bay Cove, New York, on the Twenty-Ninth day of March in the year of Our Lord Two T...

For my New Calendar brethren... Today is the summary of our salvation, and the revelation of the age-old mystery. For the Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin, and Gabriel announces the good news of grace. Therefore, let us join him, and cry aloud to the Theotokos: "Rejoice, Maiden full of grace! The Lord is with you." And for my Old Calendar brethren... With the streams of thy tears thou didst irrigate the barren desert, and with sighs from the depths of thy soul thou didst render thy labors fruitful an hundredfold, and becamest a beacon for the whole world, resplendent with miracles. O Symeon our father, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.

( OCA ) - As reported earlier, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon had accepted the invitation of His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to concelebrate at the Divine Liturgy in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in the Phanar district here on the Sunday of Orthodoxy—March 19-20, 2016. Earlier, Metropolitan Tikhon had accepted similar invitations from Patriarch Bartholomew. In December 2014, he visited the Holy Theological School of Halki and the Patriarchate with Archpriests John Jillions, OCA Chancellor, and Archpriests John Behr and Alexander Rentel of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY. In June 2015, Metropolitan Tikhon and Father Alexander traveled to the Patriarchate in connection with the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA. Accompanied by Father John Jillions, Metropolitan Tikhon arrived in Istanbul on Saturday, March 19, shortly after a terrorist bombing had killed and wounde...

( YouTube ) - His holiness, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Cyril I, at the Feast of Victory of Orthodoxy (20th March 2016) held a speech in which he strongly criticized union with Latins that former Orthodox Christians, now known as "Eastern Catholics" signed with Rome, during Florence Robber Synod crises in 15th century, before the fall of the great and holy city of Constantinople (1453)

Machine translated. Apologies. I welcome a better translation. ( Time News ) - Additional points during yesterday's worship at the Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral Zaporizhia dedicated to the feast of Orthodoxy, the supporters of the Moscow Patriarchate an anathema was laid on the head of the Kyiv Patriarchate, Filaret. A video announcement of anathemas on his Youtube channel posted Zaporozhye Diocese of the UOC.

( Pemptousia ) - Once, when I was talking to an Elder who’d been on the Holy Mountain for many years (more than twice the number I had), he mentioned the following in the course of conversation: ‘the late Father E… would always sing this doxastiko [a special hymn, sung between ‘Glory…’ and ‘Now and forever’] in the way Iakovos set it’. Since anybody who’s interested in Byzantine music knows how difficult it is to execute the settings of Iakovos the Protopsaltis (fl. ca. 1760-†1800), I was astonished and asked if Father E… knew music. The Elder seemed a little embarrassed, as if he hadn’t expected the question. He was quiet for a second or two, then said, ‘The Athonite kind’. What he meant was that he knew more or less the settings that were normally sung on the Holy Mountain. And, he continued, in an effort to explain more clearly what he’d said and also to provide an answer to my question (where the Father had learned and knew how to sing the Iakovos setting): ‘That’s how they lear...

STONY POINT, NY ( SCOOCH ) – On Tuesday, March 15, 2016 H.G. Bishop David of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of NY & NE hosted a meeting of the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches at Virgin Mary & St. Pachomius Coptic Orthodox Church. In attendance were SCOOCH chairman H.E. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian (Armenian), H.E. Mor Titus Yeldho (Malankara-Syriac), H.G. Bishop Makarios (Eritrean), H.E. Mor Jean Kawak (Syriac), H.G. Bishop Karas (Coptic), and the priests and lay representatives of the Coptic, Syriac, Eritrean, Malankara-Syriac, and Armenian Churches. Among the items discussed by the group were the continued missions of OCCM and SCOOYA (the campus and youth ministries of SCOOCH), the upcoming annual Concelebration of the Divine Liturgy (to be held on October 22, 2016), and the resumption of the official dialogue with the Eastern Orthodox Church. Plans were also announced for an upcoming Eastern Orthodox-Oriental Orthodox joint prayer service to be held for t...

If you'd like to read the complete article on the synodikon and the historical/theology underpinnings of the service, head over to the OMHKSEA website here . Anyone who reads the “Synodikon of Orthodoxy” will discover at once that, on the one hand, the heretics are anathematized and on the other hand the holy Fathers and confessors are acclaimed. For the former those present proclaim “anathema” three times, for the latter the people proclaim “eternal memory” three times at each proposal. Some people are scandalized when they see and hear such action, particularly when they hear “anathema”. They consider it very harsh and say that the spirit of hatred of other doctrines which the Orthodox Church has is being expressed in this way. But the facts are not interpreted in this way. The anathemas cannot be regarded as philosophical ideas and as states of hatred for other doctrines, but as medical actions. First of all the heretics by the choice which they have made have ended in...

( HTS ) - On Saturday, March 19, His Grace, Metropolitan Jonah arrived at Holy Trinity Monastery to lead the Divine Services for the Triumph of Orthodoxy. Following Sunday's Liturgy, Metropolitan Jonah delivered a sermon about how all of the faithful are called to Christ in the same way that Nathanael was called by Christ as described in the Gospels. Following the sermon, all the clergy gathered in the middle of the cathedral to serve the "Rite of Orthodoxy." Holy Trinity Seminary Alumnus Fr. Peter Markevitch led the proclaiming of the anathemas.

( OCA ) - His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon has accepted an invitation from His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to concelebrate the Divine Liturgy of the Sunday of Orthodoxy at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in Istanbul’s Phanar district on March 20, 2016. Also concelebrating with the Ecumenical Patriarch will be the members of the Sacred and Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. While preparing for his departure for Istanbul, Metropolitan Tikhon expressed feelings of joy in anticipation of the celebration. “The path toward Orthodox unity in mission and witness that has been taken in the United States by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA will bear fruit at the forthcoming Great and Holy Synod on the island of Crete in June 2016,” said Metropolitan Tikhon. “The core commitment of the Orthodox Church in America to Orthodox unity is unwavering. For us, the concelebration with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholom...

Add caption FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 13, 2016 Contact: Dr. Gary Jenkins, Director 610-341-5966 / orthodox@agorainstitute.org Orthodox Center at Eastern University Announces New Summer Program Advanced High School students and recent graduates can earn college credit while studying Orthodox literature March 13, 2016 (St. Davids, Pa.) — What do Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nikolai Gogol, and Alexandros Papadiamantis all have in common? They are some of the celebrated Orthodox Christian authors whose works students will read and discuss during a new honors program offered this July at Eastern University in suburban Philadelphia. The Summer Program for Young Orthodox Scholars, sponsored by the Center for Orthodox Thought and Culture, will provide promising High School and transfer students the opportunity to earn college credit while challenging themselves intellectually and spiritually. Participants will live in residence on the university's campus from July 7th to th...

( Fox News ) - The House approved a resolution Monday that declares the Islamic State is committing genocide against Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East -- putting even more pressure on the Obama administration to do the same ahead of a deadline later this week. The resolution, passed the House with a unanimous vote of 383-0. The resolution came to a vote just days after the release of a graphic new report by the Knights of Columbus and In Defense of Christians on ISIS' atrocities. The report made the case that the terror campaign against Christians and other minorities in Syria, Iraq and other parts of the Middle East is, in fact, genocide. “When ISIS systematically targets Christians, Yezidis, and other ethnic and religious minorities for extermination, this is not only a grave injustice—it is a threat to civilization itself,” Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., said in a statement. “We must call the violence by its proper name: genocide.” The resolut...

( Daily Sabah ) - Greek Cyprus on Tuesday ruled out expediting Turkey's long-stalled talks to enter the EU unless Ankara fulfills its obligations to recognize the country. Ankara wants its citizens to have visa-free access to the EU's Schengen zone by June and to open new chapters in its long-stalled EU accession process in return for assistance in stemming the human tide of refugees through Europe in one of the continent's worst humanitarian crises since World War II. "I conveyed to [European Council] President [Donald] Tusk our position that the Republic of Cyprus does not intend to consent to the opening of any chapters if Turkey does not fulfill its obligations as described in the negotiating framework," Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades told reporters after a meeting with Tusk in Nicosia. Recent talks between Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı to produce a federal state with two autonomous entities have been positive and...

What an intriguing book. I hope to review it shortly as a helpful text for catechumens or maybe even as a weeknight parish study book. If you get a chance to read it, do give your thoughts in the comment box. ( AFP ) - Come, Let Us Worship walks the reader through the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, explaining the meaning of each element and how the congregant may best participate in this fundamental act of Orthodox worship. Those new to Orthodoxy and those who wonder about the meaning of the Liturgy will find this small guide a helpful and informative companion. About the Author The V. Rev. Fr. Patrick B. O’Grady, B.A., M.Div., is a lifelong pastor and an Orthodox priest, now serving as priest-in-charge of St. Peter the Apostle Antiochian Orthodox Church in Pomona, California. In addition to pastoral duties, Fr. Patrick assists the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America by providing oversight in liturgics and translation. Fr. Patrick contributed to the Orth...

Orthodox London has reported that Arch. Ephrem Lash (who many of you will know from his Anastasis blog) has reposed in the Lord. May his memory be eternal!

( OCA ) - Saint Vladimir’s Seminary announces its new Master of Divinity Equivalency Program designed to help Master of Arts graduates earn the necessary 72 graduate credits for an M. Div. degree equivalency in order to be eligible for admission to the Doctor of Ministry program. The program—designed to be completed in three years—covers broad-based work in theology, biblical studies, and the arts ministry, including the supervised practice of ministry. Coursework will be completed through hybrid courses combining on-line learning and on-site intensives. Students will have both the flexibility and guidance to meet their learning needs and accommodate their ministry situation, while remaining focused on the goal of admission to the D. Min. program. “This is a program specifically designed for pastors and professionals in ministry who want to do advanced graduate study, but cannot commit to a full-time residency at our campus,” said Priest Dr. J. Sergius Halvorsen, Director of the...

( Antiochian ) - Ancient Faith Ministries has announced the launch of Orthodox Christian Ebooks . The collaborative website features Orthodox ebooks from multiple publishers, all in one place. "We are excited about this new web site which will provide a convenient online destination for the best in Orthodox ebooks," said John Maddex, CEO of Ancient Faith. "It will especially be helpful to international readers who are often discouraged by high shipping costs from the U.S." The user-friendly ebook store is organized by topic, publisher, and author, for ease of use and navigation. The site functions as both a store and a directory. Most books are available directly from the site, and the remaining listings include links to other ebook distributors for convenient access. Orthodox Christian Ebooks products are compatible with many e-reading device. Most of the titles available for download directly from the site come in the two most common ebook formats and in PD...

( The Christian Institute ) - The words “dad” and “father” have been reinstated to an NHS pregnancy handbook, in a move welcomed as a recognition of the “vital contribution” dads make to children’s lives. Specific mention of a male parent was removed from the NHS Health Scotland handbook in 2012 after one complaint that the publication was not inclusive of people in same-sex relationships. The guide used the word “partner” instead, but now “dad” and “father” again appear in the book. Strange logic Norman Wells, Director of the Family Education Trust, said: “It was always a strange logic which prompted the NHS to exclude fathers from its parenting guide in the name of being ‘inclusive’. “The fact that fathers have now been put very much back into the script is a welcome acknowledgement not only that fathers exist but that they have a vital contribution to make to the lives and development of their children.” Alex Johnstone MSP also welcomed the change, describing it as a “v...

I had to keep pausing this video. For me it was like watching archeologist after archeologist uncover items and then speak authoritatively about the use and value of something just pulled out of the ground while being completely wrong. They interview a man who wrote a book to tell people they could get close to Jesus without actually doing the things he mandated. They interview a humanist chaplain that thinks what people seek in religion (namely community) is important, but doesn't require organized religion. Really, religion is certainly about what you do today - how you serve your fellow man and how you find peace with him - but that is not the goal. The goal is the Kingdom. All this centering on the life we live here on Earth without looking to Heaven is like running while looking 2 feet in front of you and not towards the finish line. It's simply bad form. When I was in high school working out in the gym a coach came up to me and said, "You do really well in the we...

More baptisms in three minutes than many of our parishes see in three years.

( OCA ) - Prior to his return to the US after a week-long visit to the Orthodox Church in Finland, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon signed an agreement with His Eminence, Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All Finland pledging mutual cooperation in five important areas of Church life. Metropolitan Tikhon led a delegation from the Orthodox Church in America on his visit to the Finnish Church during the last week of February 2016. Additional information and a photo gallery highlighting the visit will be posted shortly. The text of the agreement reads as follows. A PDF is also available here . Cooperation Agreement The Orthodox Church in America and the Orthodox Church of Finland March 1, 2016 Kuopio, Finland In concluding the visit of a delegation led by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon of the Orthodox Church in America to Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All Finland and the Orthodox Church of Finland, and having rediscovered our common historical roots and the shared presen...

( OCA ) - His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, presided at the Divine Liturgy celebrated in conjunction with the reinterment of His Eminence, the late Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas and the South, at Saint Seraphim Cathedral here Saturday, March 5, 2016. The celebration coincided with the Commemoration of the Departed—Memorial Saturday—that precedes the Sunday of the Last Judgment. Archbishop Dmitri fell asleep in the Lord in retirement at the age of 87 on Sunday, August 28, 2011. On Friday, March 4, the body of Archbishop Dmitri was brought from Restland Cemetery to the cathedral, where it was greeted by many clergy and faithful, taken to the cathedral’s recently completed Memorial Chapel, and placed in a new coffin prior to the celebration of Vespers on Friday evening. Following Vespers, clergy and faithful prayed in the crypt and read the Holy Scriptures throughout the evening. A Panikhida was celebrated after Saturday’s Divine Liturgy, after which Archbishop Dmitri’s coffin...

( SKC ) - New National Organization for Orthodox Christian Educators Announced Seeking Expressions of Interest Dr Papatheofanis is organizing a new membership organization to unify and meet the needs of Orthodox Christian academic education. This includes home school programs, as well as PK-12, undergraduate, and graduate education. However, it will not include religious education and Church school programs. The National Orthodox Christian Education Association (NOCEA) will be the professional organization for Orthodox Christian educators in the United States. The Association's principal objectives are to promote the growth and welfare of Orthodox Christian PK-12, undergraduate, and graduate education; to foster cooperation between Orthodox Christian institutions and individuals in the fields of primary, secondary, and higher education; to enable Orthodox Christian educators to work together for professional growth; to facilitate the interchange of ideas between schools and...

( STOTS ) - On Friday February 26th, five seminarians from St. Tikhon's traveled to St. Vladimir's Seminary to join with students from Holy Trinity Seminary (Jordanville) and Holy Cross/Hellenic College for the spring gathering of the Orthodox Inter-Seminary Movement (OISM). OISM provides a forum for students from different Orthodox seminaries and theological schools to meet one another, visit respective institutions, fellowship, attend lectures and discuss topics of interest to future servants of the Church. Following the annual STOTS vs SVS basketball game Friday evening, students renewed old friendships and made new ones while chatting over pizza and snacks. The OISM retreat officially began Saturday morning with a molieben, followed by a campus tour. The highlights of the day included a series of talks by Father Vladimir and Matushka Suzanne Aleandro, who shared about their experiences of missionary work among the Turkana people of Northern Kenya, and by Fr. Chad ...

It's interesting watching this video having attended a Liturgy here a few years ago. It was the first Antiochian service I had attended that was done completely in Arabic. Having experienced the Antiochian Archdiocese in the US where English plays a strong part, it was understandably disorienting.

( HTS ) - On Monday, March 7 at 5:00pm Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary will present a lecture by the Very Reverend Protopresbyter George Dragas on the upcoming Great and Holy Council of representatives from the Orthodox Christian Autocephalos churches. The purpose of this lecture is to explore the history of how this council was planned, what issues are being considered for a decision, and much more. The lecture will be in English and open to the public.

( Antiochian ) - Father Michael Shanbour, pastor of Three Hierarchs Orthodox Christian Mission in Wenatchee, WA, reports that their "small mission church in Wenatchee, WA is honored to offer a beautiful, new compilation containing Akathist Hymns to thirty beloved Orthodox saints, many published for the first time (see complete list below)." God is Wonderful in His Saints is a handsome 6" x 9" hard case volume with sewn binding printed by Thomson Shore (536 pages). Each Akathist is preceded by an icon and brief life of the saint. Instructions are also provided on how to pray an Akathist. God is Wonderful in His Saints has the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph. Bishop Basil of the Diocese of Wichita has also recommended this "very fine publication" to his Clergy Brotherhood. Order online; shipping is free! Akathists included are: Andrew, Apostle Anthony the Great Athanasius Barbara, Great Martyr Catherine, Great Martyr Chad of Lich...

( Fight the New Drug ) - Last summer, we posted a blog article that went viral titled, 5 Celebrities Who Hate Porn. We listed five well-known movie stars who have publicly spoken out about porn and its harmful effects, and number one on our list was actor/spokesperson Terry Crews. Crews is perhaps best known for his hilarious bicep-bulging Old Spice videos, but since achieving viral YouTube fame, Crews has gone on to become a legitimate force in Hollywood. He has had starring roles in successful TV series such as Everybody Hates Chris and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and has featured in high-grossing movies such as White Chicks, The Longest Yard, and The Expendables. He even hosted Who Wants To Be A Millionaire for a while. After seeing that we posted about him on our blog, Terry officially joined the #PornKillsLove movement by repping one of our popular Porn Kills Love tees and giving Fight the New Drug a shout out to his millions of followers. As you can see, since becoming a bonafide...

( Pravoslavie ) - Following the session of the Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church held on February 16, 2016, His Holiness Ilia II, Patriarch and Catholicos of Tbilisi and All Georgia announced that the Synod has rejected the document "The relation of the Orthodox Church towards the rest of the Christian world" which was prepared for the upcoming Pan-Orthodox Council to be held in Crete in June 2016. The Georgian Church has also complained about other documents. At the Great Council the fourteen local Autocephalos Orthodox Churches will take part, and any document not receiving unanimous consent will be rejected. "The Great and Holy Council is to be held in June ... Our Church will stay with the old calendar ... Our Church was, is and will be a guardian of Orthodoxy. The Georgian Orthodox Church rejects the document on ecumenism drafted for the Great Council. Our Church is that which has saved our country and our people. In the future our Church ...

( Quartz ) - After 340 days subsisting on freeze dried powders from “on-orbit” space pouches, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly’s first sight of earthly prepared food was a Kazakh traditional offering of bread and salt. Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov touched ground near the town of Zhezkazgan in eastern Kazhakstan at 11:26 pm EST last night (Mar. 1). The welcome ceremony began with two women dressed in bright yellow and green, who presented the homecoming heroes with bread and salt. “It’s an honor to participate in this event, but first let me welcome you with bread and salt. This is our custom,” said a dignitary, unnamed in the NASA TV broadcast, who welcomed them in a brief ceremony at Zhezkazgan Airport. The astronauts were also presented with tribute matryoshka dolls in their likeness. The generously sized welcome bread, at times elaborately decorated and glazed, is a staple of astronaut welcoming ceremonies in Kazakhstan, where vast unforested...