Is
Christianity doomed to disappear in our country? This is a question that I have
dealt with previously in several articles, but we return to it today from the
perspective of how Christians view themselves and their witness in today's
world. Instead we will point
out some phenomena that have recently arisen in Christians' behavior and attitude
toward current events.
The
primary phenomenon from which all the other phenomena stem is Christians'
neglect of what is essential in Christianity and contentment with what is
inessential in it. By 'essential' we do not mean the fundamental dogmatic questions
that distinguish Christians from others or those that distinguish Christians
from each other according to their various affiliations. Rather, we mean the
essence of the moral and life teachings of Jesus Christ.
If we
want to characterize Christianity in brief, we would say that it is the
imitation of Jesus Christ in daily life and concern for humanity in general and
the needy in particular. Love comes at the essence of this essence and Christ
Himself made it His only charge for His disciples. Indeed, He made it the only
proof of their Christianity, so if they lose it, they cease to belong to Him,
and so cease belonging to Christianity. "By this all will know that you
are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).
For
Christians to depart from this essence in their moral attitudes for political,
patriotic, economic or sectarian reasons is absolutely the most disturbing
phenomenon. Christians will either physically or spiritually disappear. What
does it mean for Christians to remain if they do not imitate Christ and only
make the Gospel their measure when it suits them? "By this all will know
that you are My disciples." So are Christians known by their behavior or
only by their names and their family names? Can we not say that Christianity
has disappeared from our country, despite the fact that there remain Christians
who are not pleased with life as Christ wants it to be? Does a Christian remain
a Christian if he says that the Gospel is not for him right now?
What we
are currently witnessing causes us to affirm that the loss of the moral essence
among Christians is the most effective factor for the disappearance of
Christianity. Here are some phenomena that provide examples of the moral
aberrations that provoke fear for the future of Christianity in our country:
When
Christians applaud unjust regimes with the excuse that they protect them from a
greater danger, as though Christ chose between a lesser and a greater evil. The
lesser and the greater evil are both evil!
When the
"rights of Christians" become more important than the "rights of
man".
When the
"rights of Christians" become more important than Christ's rights.
Christ's rights are none other than that the poor be embraced, that the hungry
be fed, that the sick be helped, that the stranger be sheltered... As for the
"rights of Christians", this doesn't mean anything but the rights of
the rich or of those who are in a position to become wealthy, from the rank of
"general manager" on up.
When
Christians support a policy of discriminating among the people of God,
violating the basic principles of Jesus Christ's teachings.
When
belonging to the Church is replaced by sectarian affiliation.
When
Christ's tomb becomes more important than the people of Palestine remaining in
their homeland.
When
erecting a cross or enormous statues on mountaintops becomes more important
than investing the Church's endowments in supporting people to remain in their
country against incentives to emigrate.
When some
people imagine regaining the Church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, while at
the very same time neglect to support those who stand firm in their villages,
so that what happened to the people of Constantinople will not happen to them!
Yes,
Christianity is doomed to disappear in our country if we ignore this moral essence of the teachings
of Jesus Christ. "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the
soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in
hell" (Matthew 10:28). Where do we stand in terms of these words?
By Fr.
George Massouh
Source: http://araborthodoxy.blogspot.com.by/2017/08/fr-george-massouh-when-will.html
CONVERSATION