Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople Excommunicated by the Moscow Patriarchate of All Rus' and All the North

From RT:

In the biggest rift in modern Orthodox history, the Russian Orthodox Church has cut all ties with the Constantinople Patriarchate, after it accepted a [schismatic sect claiming to be part of the] Ukrainian Orthodox Church as independent. 

The Holy Synod, the governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church, has ruled that any further clerical relations with Constantinople are impossible, Metropolitan Hilarion, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church’s External Relations Department, told journalists, de facto announcing the breach of relations between the two churches. 

“A decision about the full break of relations with the Constantinople Patriarchate has been taken at a Synod meeting” that is currently been held in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, Hilarion said, as cited by TASS. 

The move comes days after the Synod of the Constantinople Patriarchate decided to eventually grant the so-called autocephaly to two [vagante] branches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, thus legitimizing the two clerical organizations. 

The Moscow Patriarchate also said that it would not abide by any decisions taken by Constantinople and related to the status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. “All these decisions are unlawful and canonically void,” Hilarion said, adding that “the Russian Orthodox Church does not recognize these decisions and will not follow them.” 

At the same time, the Russian Church expressed its hope that “a common sense will prevail” and Constantinople will change its decision. However, it still accused the Ecumenical Patriarch of initiating the “schism.” 

The move taken by Moscow marks arguably the greatest split in the history of the Orthodox Church since the Great Schism of 1054, which separated [Roman] Catholics [from the] Orthodox Christians, as it involves a break of communion between the biggest existing Orthodox Church – the Moscow Patriarchate – and Constantinople Patriarch, who is widely regarded as a spiritual leader of world’s Orthodox Christians, even though his status is nothing like that of the Pope in the Roman Catholic Church. 

Constantinople’s decision seems to be serving the interests of the Ukrainian [political] leadership rather than the Orthodox Christians living there. While most Orthodox clerics in Ukraine still pledge loyalty to the head of the Russian church, Patriarch Kirill, and consider themselves to be part of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kiev actively supports a schismatic force, which has been unrecognized by any other Churches until now. 

This religious movement led by the former Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, who is now [claiming to be the] "Patriarch Filaret in Ukraine", has sought to gain the status of an independent Orthodox Church, “equal” to the Moscow Patriarchate, since 1990s. Meanwhile, it did not hesitate to seize Moscow Patriarchate’s churches by force. 

In its October decision, the Holy Synod of the Constantinople Patriarchate “canonically reinstated” Filaret and his followers “to their hierarchical or priestly rank” and restored their communion with the Church, thus effectively declaring that it does not see them as schismatic. This particular move also provoked angry reaction in the Moscow Patriarchate [and other canonical Orthodox Churches around the world]. 

“A schism remains a schism. And the leaders of a schism remain as such,” Hilarion said, adding that “a Church that recognized schismatic 'priests' and entered into communion with them … excluded itself from the canonical field of the Orthodox Church.” 

He also named restitution of Filaret’s and his followers’ hierarchical or priestly ranks as one of the major reasons behind the Russian Orthodox Church Holy Synod’s decision to break all ties with Constantinople. 

According to TASS, 40 churches have been forcefully seized by the Kiev Patriarchate between 2014 and 2016. In the first half of 2018 alone, Ukraine witnessed 10 new [violent] attacks on Russian Orthodox Churches. Now, as Constantinople is launched a procedure of granting independence to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, such attacks might further intensify, some experts warn.

As such, members of the Russian Orthodox Church, including ROCOR, can no longer attend, commune, marry, confess, or receive any mysteries at any church under the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Likewise clergy of the MP and ROCOR may no longer concelebrate with priests under the Patriarch of Constantinople. Russian Orthodox Christians may continue to attend and receive the mysteries at any other Patriarchate Church, Canonical Autonomous Orthodox Church, or Canonical Autocephalous Orthodox Church worldwide.

My DNA: Tracing my ancestory to Noah, Adam, and Eve!

I recently had my DNA tested by 23andMe. If you'd like to check out your DNA, you can save by registering at this link: https://refer.23andme.com/s/ir2tk I guarantee that you will find it fascinating!

Most of it was unsurprising, such as having Irish ancestry. My paternal grandfather was born in Ireland shortly before immigrating with his mother, Queen Tobin Stanosheck to America. Recently we learned that my maternal grandfather's family had lived in Ireland for some time before immigrating to America. Through my maternal line it appears we are related to Clan McLaren/MacLaren too.

Both my maternal grandmother's and grandfather's families had lived in Germany so having German DNA was not surprising.

Now the last names of my grandfathers are Polish-Russian and Welsh. So having DNA from Poland and Great Britain was not a surprise. But what was a surprise was that although my last name is a blend of Polish and Russian, I have no Russian DNA, but do have Ukrainian DNA. (I've actually had an intuition about this before getting tested).

Surprise #2 is that we were always told that my maternal grandmother was Czech, but according to my DNA, she was actually Slovak, as I have Slovak DNA but no Czech DNA.

Surprise #3 is that my DNA can be traced all the way back to Noah. We are related to Noah via his son, Japheth, his grandson Gomer, and his great-grandson, Ashkenaz.

It looks like someone in my ancient family members moved from Syria to the Slavic lands, and then up to Scandinavia. Where exactly, my DNA doesn't know, but it was in my mother's side of the family.

So many people who get their tests done get surprise African or Asian DNA, but my test showed my DNA to be solely European (as far as it can go back). Here is the exact (to 99.98% accuracy) breakdown:

Here are the histories that my DNA tells:

The stories of all of our paternal lines can be traced back to just one man: the common ancestor who lived in eastern Africa at the time, Adam.

Your paternal-line ancestors gradually moved north, following available prey and resources as a shifting climate made new routes hospitable and sealed off others. Then a small group ventured across the Red Sea and deeper into southwest Asia. Your ancestors were among these men, and the next step in their story is marked by the rise of  your ancestors in the Arabian Peninsula.

Passing through the Middle East, your paternal-line ancestors continued on to the steppes of Central Asia, vast grasslands stretching all the way from central Europe to the eastern edge of Asia.

The next step in your story can be to the common ancestor of a man who likely lived in Central Asia. His descendants roamed the vast steppes of the continent, where they hunted huge mammals like the mammoth.

Your ancestral path forked off again in western Asia, but farther south in the Iranian Plateau your ancestors flourished.

As the people of the Fertile Crescent domesticated plants and animals for the first time. Around 8,000 years ago, the first farmers and herders began to push east into Central Asia and north into the Caucasus Mountains. Some of them eventually reached the steppes above the Black and Caspian Seas. There, they lived as pastoral nomads, herding cattle and sheep across the grasslands, while their neighbors to the south developed yet another crucial technology in human history: bronze smelting. As bronze tools and weaponry spread north, a new steppe culture called the Yamnaya was born.

Perhaps triggered by a cold spell that made it difficult to feed their herds, Yamnaya men spilled east across Siberia and down into Central Asia. To the west, they pushed down into the Balkans and to central Europe, where they sought new pastures for their herds and metal deposits to support burgeoning Bronze Age commerce. Over time, their descendants spread from central Europe to the Atlantic coast, establishing new trade routes and an unprecedented level of cultural contact and exchange in western Europe.

The men from the steppes also outcompeted the local men as they went; their success is demonstrated in the overwhelming dominance of the lineage in Europe, especially Ireland and Wales.

You descend from a long line of women that can be traced back to eastern Africa. If every person living today could trace his or her maternal line back over thousands of generations, all of our lines would meet at a single woman who lived in eastern Africa, Eve. The story of your maternal line begins with her it.

While many of her descendants remained in Africa, one small group ventured east across the Red Sea, likely across the narrow Bab-el-Mandeb into the tip of the Arabian Peninsula.

Your story continues with one of two branches that arose from southwestern Asia. Researchers have long debated whether they arrived there via the Sinai Peninsula, or made the hop across the Red Sea at the Bab-el-Mandeb. Though their exact routes are disputed, there is no doubt that the women migrated across all of Eurasia, giving rise to people from Portugal to Polynesia.

One of those branches traces back to a woman who likely lived in the Middle East or the Caucasus Mountains. Her descendants appear to have migrated into northern Europe, and then through southwestern Asia as far as Pakistan with the expansion of agriculture about 8,000 years ago.

Women carrying this haplogroup likely migrated into and across Europe during this stretch of milder climate.

Today, they are mostly spread across southeastern Europe and into the Middle East, including in the North Caucasus and northern Iran. Some can also be found in the northern and western reaches of Europe, including in Britain, Finland, and even western Siberia.

Chronological Index of the Gospel Parallels, A Historical Concordance

Did you ever wonder what order everything in the Orthodox New Testament Holy Gospels happened? Here is a chronological index of the Gospel parallels, so you can get a feel for when everything happened in the Four Gospels of the New Covenant in the Holy Bible. I will also notate in italics when events are also discussed in the Orthodox New Testament Acts, Epistles, and Revelation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Conception of Saint John the Baptist: Luke 1:5-25
• The Annunciation: Luke 1:26-38
• The Virgin Mary Visits Saint Elizabeth: Luke 1:39-56
• The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist: Luke 1:57-80
• Announcement to Saint Joseph the Betrothed: Matt 1:18-24

BIRTH & CHILDHOOD OF JESUS

• The Genealogy of Jesus: Matt 1:2-17, Luke 3:23-38
• The Registration: Luke 2:1-5
• The Nativity of our Lord: Matt 1:25, Luke 2:1-7
• Angels & Shepherds: Luke 2:8-20
• The Magi: Matt 2:1-12
• The Circumcision: Luke 2:21
• The Meeting in the Temple: Luke 2:22-38
• The Flight into Egypt & Return: Matt 2:13-21
• The Massacre of the Infants: Matt 2:13-21
• Childhood of Jesus at Nazareth: Matt 2:23, Luke 2:40
• The Child Jesus in the Temple: Luke 2:41-50

SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST AND FORERUNNER

• Introduces Christ: Matt 3:1-6, 11-12, Mark 1:2-8, Luke 3:1-6, 15-18, John 1:6-28
• The Baptist's Preaching: Matt 3:7-10, Luke 3:7-14
• The Baptism of Jesus: Matt 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, John 1:29-34
• The Temptation: Matt 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13
• The First Three Apostles: John 1:35-42
• Apostles Philip & Nathanael: John 1:43-51
• The Marriage at Cana: John 2:1-11
• The Sojourn at Capernaum: John 2:12

EARLY JUDAEAN MINISTRY

• First Expulsion of the Merchants from the Temple: John 2:13-22
• Jesus and Nikodemos: John 3:1-21
• Christ Baptizing in Judea: John 3:22-24
• John the Baptist's Testimony at Aenon: 3:25-26
• Imprisonment of John the Baptist: Matt 14:3, Mark 6:17, Luke 3:19-20
• From Judea to Galilee: Matt 4:12, John 4:1-3
• The Samaritan Woman: John 4:4-42
• The Gospel in Sychar: John 4:27-42

GALILEAN MINISTRY

• Jesus Arrives in Galilee: Matt 4:17, Mark 1:14-15, Luke 4:14-15, John 4:43-46
• Healing of the Nobleman's Son: John 4:46-54
• First Rejection at Nazareth: Luke 4:16-30
• Jesus Goes to Capernaum: Matt 4:13-16
• The Call of the Four Fishermen: Matt 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, Luke 5:1-11
• Healing of the Demoniac in the Synagogue: Mark 1:23-28, Luke 4:33-37
• Healing of Peter's Mother-in-Law: Matt 8:14-15, Mark 1:29-31, Luke 4:38-39
• The Sick Healed at Evening: Matt 8:16-17, Mark 1:32-34, Luke 4:40-41
• Jesus Departs from Capernaum: Mark 1:35-38, Luke 4:42-43
• First Preaching in Galilee with Four Disciples: Matt 4:23-25, Mark 1:35-39, Luke 4:42-44
• The Cleansing of the Leper: Matt 8:2-4, Mark 1:40-45, Luke 5:12-16
• The Paralytic Borne by Four Friends: Matt 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-26
• The Call of Levi (Saint Matthew): Matt 9:9-13, Mark 2:13-17, Luke 5:27-32
• The Question About Fasting: Matt 9:14-17, Mark 2:18-22, Luke 5:33-39
• Jesus Heals the Man at Bethesda & Attends 2nd Passover: John 5:1-18
• Jesus' Discourse on Eternal Life and the Father: John 5:19-48
• Plucking Grain on the Sabbath: Matt 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28, Luke 6:1-5
• Healing the Man with a Withered Hand: Matt 12:9-14, Mark 3:1-6, Luke 6:6-11
• Jesus Heals the Multitudes by the Sea: Matt 12:15-21, Mark 3:7-12, 
• Jesus Chooses the Twelve: Matt 10:2-4, Mark 3:7-13, Luke 6:12-16

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

• The Occasion: Matt 4:24-5:2, Mark 3:7-13, Luke 6:17-20
• The Beatitudes: Matt 5:3-12, Luke 6:20-23
• The Salt of the World: Matt 5:13, Mark 9:49-50, Luke 14:34-35
• The Light of the World: Matt 5:14-16, Mark 4:21, Luke 8:16, John 8:12
• On the Law and the Prophets: Matt 5:17-20, Luke 16:16-17
• On Murder and Anger: Matt 5:21-26
• On Adultery and Divorce: Matt 5:27-32, Mark 9:43-48
• On Swearing: Matt 5:33-37
• On Retaliation: Matt 5:38-42, Luke 6:29-30
• On Love of One's Enemies: Matt 5:43-48, Luke 6:27-28, 32-36
• On Almsgiving: Matt 6:1-4
• On Prayer: Matt 6:5-6
• The Lord's Prayer: Matt 6:7-15, Luke 11:1-4
• On Fasting: Matt 6:16-28
• On Treasures: Matt 6:19-21, Luke 12:33-34
• The Sound Eye: Matt 6:22-23, Luke 11:34-36
• On Serving Two Masters: Matt 24, Luke 6:13
• On Anxiety: Matt 6:25-34, Luke 12:22-32
• On Judging: Matt 7:1-5, Mark 4:24-25, Luke 6:37-42, John 7:53-8:11
• On Profaning the Holy: Matt 7:6
• Answering of Prayer: Matt 7:7-11, Luke 11:9-13, John 14:13-14, 15:7, 16:24
• The Golden Rule: Matt 7:12, Luke 6:31
• The Narrow Gate: Matt 7:13-14, Luke 13:23-24
• By their Fruits...: Matt 7:15-20, Luke 6:43-45
• Not Everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord." Matt 7:21-23, Luke 6:46, 13:25-27
• The House Built Upon the Rock: Matt 24-27, Luke 6:47-49
• The Effect of the Sermon: Matt 7:28-29, Mark 1:21-22, Luke 4:32, 7:1, John 7:46
• The Sermon on the Plain: Luke 6:24-26

THE MINISTRY IN GALILEE CONTINUES

• Healing the Centurion's Servant at Capernaum: Matt 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10
• The Widow's SOn at Nain: Luke 7:11-17
• Saint John's Question and Jesus' Answer: Matt 11:2-6, Luke 7:18-23
• Jesus' Witness Concerning Saint John: Matt 11:7-19, Luke 7:24-35
• Galilean Cities Reproved: Matt 11:20-24
• Invitation to Find Rest in Christ: 11:25-30, Luke 10:12-15
• Anointing of Jesus' Feet; Parable of the Two Debtors: Luke 7:36-50
• Certain Women Follow Jesus: Luke 8:2-3

TEACHING AT THE SEA OF GALILEE

• Jesus Accused of Madness: Matt 12:24-30, Mark 3:20-27
• Healing of the Blind and Dumb Man: Matt 12:22-29
• Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit: Matt 12:31-37, Mark 3:28-30, Luke 12:10
• Folly of Seeking for a Sign: Matt 12:38-42, 16:1-4, Mark 8:11-12, Luke 11:16, 29-32, John 6:30
• The Return of the Evil Spirit: Matt 12:43-45, Luke 11:24-26
• Christ's True Kindred: Matt 12:46-50, Mark 3:31-35, Luke 8:19-21

JESUS SPEAKS TO THE CROWDS BY THE SEA

• Parable of the Sower: Matt 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-25, Luke 8:4-18
• Parable of Seed Growing Secretly: Mark 4:26-29
• Parable of the Darnel: Matt 13:24-30
• Parable of the Mustard Seed: Matt 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32, Luke 13:18-19
• Parable of the Leaven: Matt 13:33
• Conclusion: Matt 13:34-35, Mark 4:33-34

TEACHING DISCIPLES IN HOUSE

• Parable of Tares Explained: Matt 13:36-43
• Parable of Hidden Treasure: Matt 13:44
• Parable of the Pearl of Great Price: Matt 13:45-46
• Parable of the Net: Matt 13:47-50
• Treasures Old and New: Matt 13:51-53

MIRACLES BY THE SEA

• Stilling the Storm: Matt 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25
• The Gergesene Demoniacs: Matt 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39
• Raising of Jairus' Daughter, Woman with the Issue of Blood: Matt 9:18-26, Mark 5:21-43, Luke 8:40-56
• Healing of Two Blind Men and Demoniac: Matt 9:27-34

NAZARETH

• Jesus' Second Rejection: Matt 13:54-58, Mark 6:1-6
• Galilean Tour: Matt 9:38
• Disciples Sent Forth: Matt 10:1-4, Mark 6:7, Luke 9:1-2
• Instructions for the Journey: Matt 10:5-15, Mark 6:8-11, Luke 9:3-5
• Persecution of the Disciples: Matt 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29, Luke 9:7-9
• Cost & Rewards of Discipleship: Matt 10:34-11:1, Mark 6:12-13, Luke 9:6
• Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist: Matt 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29, Luke 9:7-9

AT CAPERNAUM

• Feeding of the 5,000: Matt 14:31-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-13
• ...

...

THE DAY BEFORE THE CRUCIFIXION

• ...
• The Mystical Supper: Matt 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:14-23, 1Cor 11:23-26
• ...

THE DAY OF CRUCIFIXION

• ...
• Remorse of Judas: Matt 27:3-10, Acts 1:18-19
• ...

...

THE RESURRECTION

• ...
• Christ Appears to the Disciples: Mark 16:14, Luke 24:36-43, John 20:19-25, 1Cor 15:6-7
• ...
• Other Commissions: Luke 24:44-49, Acts 1:3-8

THE ASCENSION

• Many Things Not Told nor Written: John 20:31; 21:25, Acts 1:9-12

It is very fitting that this chronological ends ends with these last verses, as we cannot put everything that Jesus Christ did on earth in this index. As Saint John the Theologian, Apostle, and Evangelist in Holy Writ says:

"That indeed Jesus also did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these things have been written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye may have life in His name." 

And again: 

"And there are also many other things, which if as much as Jesus did may be written one by one, I suppose even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen."

DESMOS: International Link of Orthodox Christian Scouts

The International Link of Orthodox Christian Scouts (DESMOS, from Greek "Δεσμός", bond) is an autonomous, international body committed to promoting and supporting Orthodox Scout associations and to be a link between the Scout Movement and Orthodox churches.

DESMOS was founded in 1994 at the holy site of the Penteli Monastery in Athens, Greece, with the mandate of the World Scout Bureau, in consultation with the Deputy Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, and with the blessing of His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I.

It enjoys consultative status with the World Scout Committee and forms the World Scout Inter-Religious Forum together with the Council of Protestants in Guiding and Scouting, International Catholic Conference of Scouting, International Union of Muslim Scouts, International Forum of Jewish Scouts, Won-Buddhism Scout, and World Buddhist Scout Brotherhood.

The object of the Link is as follows:

1. To develop and promote the spirit of brotherhood and understanding among Scouts of the Orthodox Christian Faith.
2. To promote warm relations and co-operation between Scouting and the official local Orthodox Churches.
3. To develop an educational curriculum that should enhance the spiritual dimension in the personalities of young Orthodox in accordance with the purpose, principles and method of the Scout Movement.
4. To introduce Scouting in such states or areas where Orthodox Church is established.
5. To co-ordinate the activities of "DESMOS" with non-Scout Organisations having the same objectives.
6. To motivate co-operation among "DESMOS" members.
7. To motivate and promote Scouting to Orthodox boys and girls on global basis.

Member organizations include:

• Armenia: Hayastani Azgayin Skautakan Sharjum Kazmakerputiun (Kazmakerputyun)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Savez izviđača Bosne i Hercegovine
• Bulgaria: Organizatsia na Bulgarskite Skauty
• Cyprus: Cyprus Scouts Association
• Finland: Suomen Partiolaiset
• Greece: Scouts of Greece
• Israel: Israel Boy and Girl Scouts Federation: Christian Orthodox Scout Association
• Jordan: Jordanian Association for Boy Scouts and Girl Guides
• Lebanon: Lebanese Scouting Federation: National Orthodox Scout Association - Scout National Orthodoxe
• Macedonia: Sojuz na Izvidnici na Makedonija
• Moldova: Organizaţia Naţională a Scouţilor din Moldova
• Palestinian Authority: Palestinian Scout Association: Palestinian Orthodox Scouts Association
• Poland: Polish Scouting and Guiding Association
• Romania: Cercetaşii României
• Russia: Russian Association of Scouts/Navigators
• Serbia: Savez Izviđača Srbije
• Uganda: The Uganda Scouts Association: Uganda Orthodox Scouts
• Ukraine: National Organization of Scouts of Ukraine
• United States: Boy Scouts of America: Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting

CONTROVERSIAL OPINION: Why I Surprisingly Support Girls in the BSA (but not in the Boy Scouts)!

DISCLAIMER: This is my personal opinion and does not represent the official position of my Den, Pack, District, Council, Region, the national organization of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), or the World Organization of the Scouting Movement (WOSM). I'm posting my personal opinion so that I can point others to it, instead of making the same arguments over and over on social media and in emails.

Some people might be surprised. Mostly I think they are confused about what is really happening. Please read below and see what is REALLY happening. Don't trust the buzz and spin of those with agendas.

First off, Packs get to decide if they wish to remain segregated starting in Autumn 2018 , and so there can be all-boy and all-girl Packs. It is all up to the Adult Volunteers and the Chartering Organizations. (Packs and Troops are chartered by a local organizations such as churches, PTAs, charitable organizations, etc.)

If a Pack decides to become integrated, the Dens are still segregated. There are all boy dens and all girl dens. So boys still get to be boys around boys, and girls still get to be girls around girls!

What about the Boy Scouts (11-17 year old Scouts)? The press release says nothing about letting girls join Boy Scout Troops. It says it will create a new program for girls so they can earn the same ranks as Boy Scouts do. My guess is it will be called Girl Guides, the original name for female Scouts. A name still in use around the world where Scouts are segregated based on sex.

What kind of interest is out there? The survey results are overwhelming and echo the flood of requests the BSA has received from families wanting a BSA program for girls.

At a glance, from Scouting Magazine:

• 90 percent of parents not involved with the BSA expressed interest in getting their daughter involved in programs like Cub Scouts.
• 87 percent of parents not involved with the BSA expressed interest in getting their daughter involved in programs like Boy Scouts.

Why the interest? Well many Girl Scouts don't like the current GSUSA program. They say they want to camp, learn knots, and learn to be leaders. The GSUSA Council have been selling off camps at an alarming rate lately, and this ties in to the lack of camping. The BSA has heard this over and over again, and decided to help these girls out, when the GSUSA has chose not to.

Back to Packs, Cub Scouts is a family organization. We have sisters coming to events, doing the same thing as their brothers, enjoying the events just as much, but not being able to earn awards. Why not let them join and earn ranks and Adventure Loops, Awards, and other Badges?

What many don't even know, is that the BSA already has integrated programs with young men and women aged 15-21 in Sea Scout Ships, Venturing Crews, S.T.E.M. Scout Labs, and Exploring Clubs & Posts. Youth Protection programs including 2-deep leadership help keep them safe from predators and inappropriate behaviour.

So in the end, if you want your boy segregated from girls in Scouting, you can choose that. If you want your girl segregated from boys in Scouting, you can choose that. If you want an integrated Scouting experience for your family, you can choose that at certain ages too.

I understand that some parents with only boys in their family, may not understand this move, but take it from a parent of 1 girl and 2 boys, this is really a good move.

Please consider buying some delicious popcorn this month to help support my son's Scouting adventures this year at https://www.trails-end.com/store/scout/ZXPHQBKI
keycode=3311354687

Buy Delicious Scout Popcorn!

My oldest son is selling Popcorn to help pay his way for camping and other educational activities. Please consider supporting Scouting by purchasing some at https://www.trails-end.com/store/scout/ZXPHQBKI Everyone who bought last year said that they loved the popcorn and that it was some of the best popcorn that they have ever had. There is an option to donate popcorn to military members if you don't like this extra delicious popcorn.

Encyclical of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for the Indiction and Day of Protection of the Environment

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Prot. No. 702

+BARTHOLOMEW
By God’s Mercy Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch
To the Plentitude of the Church: Grace, peace and mercy
From the Creator of All, our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ
(September 1, 2017/7526)

***

Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord,

With God’s grace, today we enter the new ecclesiastical year, even as we continue to provide witness “through him who loved us” (Romans 8.38) and “give an account for the hope that lies in us” (1 Peter 3.15), living in the Church, in Christ and according to Christ, who promised to be with us “all the days of our life, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28.20)

Twenty-eight years have passed since the synodal decree of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to establish the Feast of the Indiction as the “Day of Protection for the Environment,” when we offer prayers and supplications at the sacred Center of Orthodoxy “for all creation.” The relevant patriarchal encyclical (September 1, 1989) invited all Orthodox and other Christian faithful on this day to lift up prayers of thanksgiving to the Creator of all for “the great gift of Creation” along with petitions for its preservation.

We express our joy and satisfaction for the broad reception and fruitful influence of this initiative by the Church of Constantinople. We demonstrated the spiritual roots of the ecological crisis as well as the need to repent and prioritize the values of contemporary humankind. We affirmed that the exploitation and destruction of creation constitute a perversion and distortion of the Christian ethos, rather than the inevitable consequence of the biblical command to “increase and multiply” (Genesis 1.22), but also that our anti-ecological conduct is an offense to the Creator and a transgression of his commandments, ultimately working against the authentic destiny of the human person. There cannot be any sustainable development at the expense of spiritual values and the natural environment.

The Holy and Great Church of Christ has championed and continues to champion the eco-friendly dynamic of our Orthodox faith, emphasizing the Eucharistic purpose of creation, the response of the faithful as “priest” of creation in an effort to offer it unceasingly to the Creator of all, as well as the principle of asceticism as the response to the modern sense of gratification. Indeed, respect for creation belongs to the very core of our orthodox tradition.

We are especially disturbed by the fact that, while it is clear that the ecological crisis is constantly escalating, in the name of financial growth and technological development, humanity has become oblivious to the global appeals for radical change in our attitude toward creation. It is obvious that the resulting deformation and devastation of the natural environment is a direct consequence of a specific model of economic progress, which is nevertheless indifferent to its ecological repercussions. The short-term benefits dictated by the rise of living standards in some parts of the world simply camouflage the irrationality of abuse and conquest of creation. Corporate business that does not respect the planet as our common home cannot be sanctioned as business at all. The contemporary unrestrained commerce of globalization goes hand-in-hand with the spectacular development of science and technology, which despite manifold advantages is also accompanied by an arrogance over and abuse of nature. Modern man knows this very well, but acts as if he is entirely unaware. We know that nature is not restored and renewed endlessly; yet we ignore the negative implications of “trading” in the environment. This explosive combination of unrestrained commerce and science – that is to say, the limitless confidence in the power of science and technology – merely increases the risks threatening the integrity of creation and humankind.

The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church spelled out with wisdom and clarity the dangers of “autonomizing economy” or separating economy from the vital needs of humanity that are only served within a sustainable environment. Instead, it proposed an economy “founded on the principles of the Gospel”¹ in order to address the modern ecological challenge “on the basis of the principles of the Christian tradition.”² In response to the threats of our age, the tradition of the Church demands “a radical change of attitude and conduct”; in response to the ecological crisis, it proposes a spirit of asceticism, “frugality and abstinence”³; in response to our ”greed,”⁴ it calls for “the deification of our needs and attitude of acquisition.”⁵ The Holy and Great Council also emphatically referred to the “social dimensions and tragic consequences of destroying the natural environment.”⁶

Therefore, echoing the decisions of this Council, we too underline through this encyclical the close connection between ecological and social issues, as well as their common roots that lie in the “imprudent heart” that is fallen and sinful as well as in the inappropriate use of our God-given values,” by spiritual and ethical damage. When material possessions dominate our heart and mind, then our attitude toward our fellow human beings and toward creation inevitably becomes possessive and abusive. In biblical terms, the “bad tree” always “produces evil fruit.” (Matthew 7.17) Furthermore, by extension, we would underline that respecting creation and other people share the same spiritual source and origin, namely our renewal in Christ and spiritual freedom. Just as environmental destruction is related to social injustice, so too an eco-friendly attitude is inseparable from social solidarity.

What also becomes apparent is that the solution to the multi-faceted contemporary human crisis – namely, the crisis facing human culture and the natural environment – demands a multi-dimensional mobilization and joint effort. Much as every other vital problem, the underlying and interconnected ecological and social crisis cannot possibly be addressed without inter-Christian and inter-religious collaboration. Therefore, dialogue becomes the fertile ground for promoting existing ecofriendly and social traditions in order to stimulate environmental and communal discussion, while at the same time initiating a constructive criticism of progress understood exclusively in technological and economic terms at the expense of creation and civilization.

In closing, we once again reiterate the inseparable nature of respecting creation and humanity, and we call upon all people of good will to undertake the good struggle for the protection of the natural environment and the establishment of solidarity. May the Lord and giver of all good things, through the intercessions of the all-blessed Mother of God, grant all of you “a burning within your hearts for all creation”⁷ and “a stirring of love and good works.” (Hebrews 10.24)

+ Bartholomew of Constantinople
Your fervent supplicant before God
_________________________________
1 Encyclical of the Holy and Great Council, paragraph 15.
2 Encyclical, paragraph 10.
3 “The Mission of the Orthodox Church in the Contemporary World,” paragraph 10.
4 “The Mission,” paragraph 10.
5 Encyclical, paragraph 14.
6 Encyclical, paragraph 14.
7 Isaac the Syrian, Ascetical Treatises, Homily 81.

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America's Response to the Racist & Extremist Violence in Charlottesville

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America stands with all people of goodwill in condemning the hateful violence and lamenting the loss of life that resulted from the shameful efforts to promote racial bigotry and white supremacist ideology in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Orthodox Church emphatically declares that it does not promote, protect or sanction participation in such reprehensible acts of hatred, racism, and discrimination, and proclaims that such beliefs and behaviors have no place in any community based in respect for the law and faith in a loving God.

The essence of the Christian Gospel and the spirit of the Orthodox Tradition are entirely and self-evidently incompatible with ideologies that declare the superiority of any race over another. Our God shows no partiality or favoritism (Deuteronomy 10:17, Romans 2:11). Our Lord Jesus Christ broke down the dividing wall of hostility that had separated God from humans and humans from each other (Ephesians 2:14). In Christ Jesus, the Church proclaims, there can be neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, but all are one (Galatians 3:28). Furthermore, we call on one another to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather to expose them (Ephesians 5:11). And what is darkness if not hatred? The one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness (1 John 2:11)!

Furthermore, in 1872, Hierarchs from around the world assembled in Constantinople and denounced all forms of xenophobia and phyletism. They agreed that the promotion of racial or national supremacy and ethnic bias or dissension in the Church of Christ is to be censured as contrary to the sacred teachings of the Christian Gospel and the holy canons of the Church. It is formally condemned as heresy, the strongest category of false teaching.

Finally, such actions as we have witnessed in recent days, by self-proclaimed white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and various racists and fascists, betray the core human values of love and solidarity. In this, we pray wholeheartedly for the families of those who lost their lives or suffered in these tragic events. In like manner, we cannot condone any form of revenge or retaliation by any group or individual. Therefore, we fervently appeal to every person of good will, and especially the leaders of our great nation, to consider and adopt ways of reconciling differences in order to rise above any and all discrimination in our history, our present, and our future.

The bishops of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America includes:

• Geron Archbishop Demetrios of America
• Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta
• Metropolitan Antony of the East
• Metropolitan Athenagoras of Mexico
• Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey
• Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco
• Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York
• Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver
• Metropolitan Joseph of North America
• Metropolitan Joseph of the USA, Canada, and Australia
• Metropolitan Methodios of Boston
• Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit
• Metropolitan Nikitas of Berkeley
• Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh
• Metropolitan Tikhon of America
• Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco
• Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America
• Archbishop Mark of Philadelphia
• Archbishop Melchisedek of Pittsburgh
• Archbishop Michael of New York and New Jersey
• Archbishop Nathaniel of America
• Archbishop Nicolae of the Americas
• Archbishop Nikon of New England
• Archbishop Peter of Chicago and Mid-America
• Bishop Alexander of Dallas and the South
• Bishop Alexander of Ottawa, Eastern Canada and Upstate New York
• Bishop Anthony of Toledo and the Midwest
• Bishop Antoun of Miami and the Southeast
• Bishop Basil of Wichita and Mid-America
• Bishop Daniel of the West
• Bishop David of Alaska
• Bishop Demetrios of Chicago
• Bishop Irinej of Eastern America
• Bishop John of Caracas and South Americaa
• Bishop John of Worcester and New England
• Bishop Longin of New Gracanica-Midwestern America
• Bishop Maxim of Western America
• Bishop Nicholas of Brooklyn
• Bishop Pankratij of Mexico
• Bishop Paul of Chicago and the Midwest
• Bishop Saba of North America
• Bishop Thomas of Charleston, Oakland, and the Mid-Atlantic

Here are some of the Bible verses in context from the Assembly's statement (Old Testament quotes are from The Orthodox Study Bible and New Testament quotes are from The Orthodox New Testament, Volume Two):

Deuteronomy 10:17-19: For the Lord your God is the God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the resident aliens, for you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt. 

Galatians 3:26-29: For all are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many as were baptized into Christ, ye put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male and female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. 

Ephesians 5:11-12: And cease having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 

1 John 2:9-11: The one who saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in the darkness until now. The one loving his brother abideth in the light, and there is not an occasion of stumbling in him. But the one hating his brother is in darkness, and walketh in the darkness, and knoweth not where he goeth, because the darkness blinded his eyes.

The Biblical Stand Against Nagging, Arguing, or Being Angry (Especially With Your Spouse)

Do you nag your spouse? If so, then stop! Why? The Bible (both Old and New Testaments alike) clearly tells us not to.

Psalm 36(37):8 Cease from anger, and leave rage; have no emulation to do evil.

Proverbs 14:1 A wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish will pull down with her hands that also which is built.

Proverbs 14:29 He that is patient, is governed with much wisdom: but he that is impatient, exalteth his folly.

Proverbs 19:11 The learning of a man is known by patience and his glory is to pass over wrongs.

Proverbs 19:13 A foolish son is the grief of his father: and a wrangling wife is like a roof continually dropping through.

Proverbs 21:9 It is better to sit in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling women, and in a common house.

Proverbs 21:19 It is better to dwell in a wilderness, than with a quarrelsome and passionate woman.

Proverbs 22:24-25 Be not a friend to an angry man, and do not walk with a furious man: Lest perhaps thou learn his ways, and take scandal to thy soul.

Proverbs 25:8 The things which thy eyes have seen, utter not hastily in a quarrel: lest afterward thou mayst not be able to make amends, when thou hast dishonoured thy friend.

Proverbs 25:24 It is better to sit in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman, and in a common house.

Proverbs 27:15 Roofs dropping through in a cold day, and a contentious woman are alike.

Proverbs 29:11 A fool uttereth all his mind: a wise man deferreth, and keepeth it till afterwards.

Ecclesiastes 7:8-10 Oppression troubleth the wise, and shall destroy the strength of his heart. Better is the end of a speech than the beginning. Better is the patient man than the presumptuous. Be not quickly angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of a fool.

Matthew 5:22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother without just cause shall be liable to the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca' shall be liable to the Sanhedrin, but whosoever shall say, 'Thou fool,' shall be liable to the fire of Gehenna.

Romans 12:14-18 Keep on blessing those who persecute you; keep on blessing, and not cursing. Be rejoicing with those who rejoice, and be weeping with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Mind not high things, but bring yourselves down to associate with the humble. Cease becoming wise in your own deceits. Render to no one evil for evil. Provide for yourselves right things before all men. If possible, as to that which depends on you, be at peace with all men.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 Love is long-suffering, is kind; love is not jealous; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up; doth not behave unseemly, seeking not its own, is not provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; covereth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things, Love never falleth away. But whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether tongues, they shall cease; whether knowledge, it shall be done away.

Ephesians 4:26-27  Be ye angry, and sin not. Let not the sun set upon your provocation. Cease giving place to the devil.

Ephesians 4:29-32 Let not any rotten speech proceed from your mouth, but if any, such that is good for building up, as the need may be, in order that it may give grace to those who hear. And cease grieving the Holy Spirit of God, in Whom ye were sealed until a day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and anger, and wrath, and clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice; and keep on becoming kind to one another, compassionate, graciously forgiving one another, even as God in Christ also graciously forgave you.

Ephesians 5:22-25 Wives, be subordinating yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also the Christ is head of the Church, and is Himself Saviour of the body. But even as the CHurch subordinates herself to the Christ, so also the wives to their husbands in everything. Husbands be loving your own wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself up for her.

Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off from yourselves all these things: wrath, anger, malice, blasphemy, foul language out of your mouth.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Wherefore be comforting one another and building up one another, even as also ye do.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 Now we exhort you, brethren, be admonishing the disorderly, be consoling the faint-hearted, be supporting the weak, be longsuffering toward all. See ye that no one render evil for evil to anyone, but always be pursuing the good both toward one another and toward all.

1 Timothy 5:1-2 Do not rebuke an elder, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, elder women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity.

Iakovos (James) 1:19-21 Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for man's wrath doth not work out God's righteousness. Wherefore lay aside all filthiness and surplus of wickedness, and receive in meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Iakovos (James) 1:26 If anyone among you seem to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, the religion of this one is vain.

Iakovos (James) 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, the world of injustice. So the tongue, the one which defileth the body, is being set in our members and setteth on fire the wheel of birth; and it is set on fire by Gehenna.

Iakovos (James) 4:11 Cease speaking against one another, brethren. He who speaketh against a brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law. But if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. One is the Lawgiver and Judge, Who is able to save and destroy. But who art thou who judgest another?

1 Peter 3:10-12 For the one who doth wish to love life and to see good days, let him stop his tongue from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are toward their entreaty; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

1 Peter 4:8-9 And before all things have fervent love among yourselves, for "love shall cover a multitude of sins." Be hospitable to one another, without murmurings.

---

Verses from the Books of the Old Covenant/Testament are from the Douay-Rheims Holy Bible, except for the Psalms, which are from The Orthodox Psalter: The Psalterion of the Prophet and King David According to the Seventy, with the Nine Odes and Commentary. Verses from the Books of the New Covenant/Testament are from the The Orthodox New Testament Volume 1: Evangelistarion - The Holy Gospels and The Orthodox New Testament: Volume 2: Praxapostolos - Acts, Epistles, and Revelation. 

HOW-TO: Get Amazon Prime for FREE!

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Students can get 6 months of Amazon Prime for FREE, then HALF PRICE for the next 6 months if they continue by signing up at https://goo.gl/gJYYHK

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HOW-TO: Find Orthodox Christian Camps for Summer and Winter in America

Every Summer, parents look for (spiritually, physically, and mentally) healthy, enlightening, and educational activities for their children. In order to help with that, I have done my best to find all the Orthodox Christian Camps available for Orthodox Youth in America. I have also added them to one of the side sections of my blog as well. I hope parents and grandparents find these useful. If I have missed any Orthodox Camps, please let me know in the comments below with their name, location, and website, so that I can add them to both lists!

ARIZONA

• All Saints Camp in Prescott

CALIFORNIA

• Ascension Camp in Redway
• Camp Saint Sava in Jackson
• Christ in the Wilderness on Mount Tamalpais
• Saint Nicholas Camp in Dunlap
• Saint Sophia Camp in Crestline

COLORADO

• Theophany Camp in Bellvue

CONNECTICUT

• Camp Saint Paul in Litchfield & Bantam

GEORGIA

• Saint Seraphim & Saint Sophia Camps in Conyers

IDAHO

• Camp Saint Mary of Egypt in Post Falls

ILLINOIS

• Saint Seraphim ORPR Camp in Rock City

INDIANA

• Saint John Camps in Mitchell

IOWA

• Camp Saint George in Coggon

KANSAS

• Holy Trinity Camp in Linwood

KENTUCKY

• Saint Nicholas Camp in Leitchfield

MARYLAND

• Camp Good Shepherd in Chesapeake Bay
• Saint Nina's Camp in Union Bridge

MICHIGAN

• Vatra Camp of the Theotokos in Grass Lake
• Saint Nicholas Camp in Rose City

MINNESOTA

• Saint Mary Camp in South Minneapolis

NEW HAMPSHIRE

• Saint Methodios Camp in Contoocook

NEW JERSEY

• Camp Good Shepherd in Sandyston

NEW MEXICO

• Camp Emmanuel in Torreon

NEW YORK

• Saint Andrew Camp in Jewell
• Saint Timothy Camp in Croghan

OHIO

• Saint Vladimir Camp in Farmdale

OKLAHOMA

• Camp Saint Raphael on Lake Fort Gibson in Fort Gibson

OREGON

• Camp Angelos in Corbett

PENNSYLVANIA

• All Saints Camp in Emlenton
• Antiochian Village Camps in Bolivar
• Camp Nazareth in Mercer
• Saint Sava Camp at Shadeland in Springboro
• Saint Tikhon Camp in Waymart

SOUTH CAROLINA

• Camp Saint Thekla in Cleveland
• Saint Stephen Camp in Salem

TEXAS

• All Saints Camp in Fayette

WASHINGTON

• All Saints Camp on Raft Island in Gig Harbor

WISCONSIN

• Fanari Camp of Saint Iakovos in Kansasville
• Saint Edward Camp in East Troy

Other Interesting Blog Stats

While my blog's audience is definitely mostly American, here are the top 15 countries that my visitors are from:

1. United States of America
2. Russia
3. United Kingdom
4. Germany
5. France
6. Canada
7. India
8. Ukraine
9. China
10. Australia
11. Romania
12. Ireland
13. Singapore
14. South Korea
15. Macedonia

Here are the top 7 browsers they use:

1. Microsoft Internet Explorer
2. Google Chrome
3. Mozilla Firefox
4. Apple Safari
5. Opera
6. Samsung Browser
7. Lynx

Here are the top 7 Operating Systems used to access this blog:

1. Microsoft Windows
2. Apple Macintosh (Mac OS X)
3. Apple iPhone (iOS)
4. Google Android
5. Linux
6. Unix
7. Blackberry

Here are the top referring sites to my blog: 

1. Google
2. Orthodox Scouter Blog Spot
3. Facebook
4. Bing
5. Hao Hao Report
6. Link Within
7. Daum

Conservation of the God-Created Environment in the Holy Bible

We as Christians should be conservation minded, to take care of the environments on the world that we live on. We are called to be stewards of that which we are blessed with, including our planet, earth. But where can we find this in Sacred Scripture? Let's look at this in detail, in both the New and Old Covenants/Testaments of Holy Writ.

Verses from the Books of the Old Covenant/Testament are from the Douay-Rheims Holy Bible, except for the Psalms, which are from The Orthodox Psalter: The Psalterion of the Prophet and King David According to the Seventy, with the Nine Odes and Commentary. Also consulted were The Lives of the Holy Prophets: The Major and Minor Prophets of the Old Testament and Genesis, Creation, and Early Man. Verses from the Books of the New Covenant/Testament are from the The Orthodox New Testament Volume 1: Evangelistarion - The Holy Gospels and The Orthodox New Testament: Volume 2: Praxapostolos - Acts, Epistles, and Revelation. 

First let's look in the Old Covenant/Testament to see to whom all of creation belongs and how we should treat it. All 5 Books of the Mosaic Law speak to this, let's find out where.

Genesis 1:6-12, 21-25, 31 And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made a firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament, and it was so. And God called the firmament, Heaven; and the evening and morning were the second day. God also said: Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done. And God called the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.And he said: Let the earth bring forth the green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done. And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [...] And God created the great whales, and every living and moving creature, which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every winged fowl according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And he blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea: and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth. And the evening and morning were the fifth day. And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, according to their kinds. And it was so done. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and every thing that creepeth on the earth after its kind. And God saw that it was good. [...] And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day.

Genesis 2:15 And the Lord God took man, and put him into the paradise of pleasure, to dress it, and to keep it. 

Exodus 20:13-17 Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house: neither shalt thou desire his wife, nor his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is his.

Exodus 23:10-11 Six years thou shalt sow thy ground, and shalt gather the corn thereof. But the seventh year thou shalt let it alone, and suffer it to rest, that the poor of thy people may eat, and whatsoever shall be left, let the beasts of the field eat it: so shalt thou do with thy vineyard and thy olive yard.

Leviticus 25:3-5 Six years thou shalt sow thy field and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and shalt gather the fruits thereof: But in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath to the land, of the resting of the Lord: thou shalt not sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. What the ground shall bring forth of itself, thou shalt not reap: neither shalt thou gather the grapes of the firstfruits as a vintage: for it is a year of rest to the land. 

Leviticus 25:23-24 The land also shall not be sold forever: because it is Mine, and you are strangers and sojourners with Me. For which cause all the country of your possession shall be under the condition of redemption. 

Numbers 35:33-34 Defile not the land of your habitation, which is stained with the blood of the innocent: neither can it otherwise be expiated, but by his blood that hath shed the blood of another. And thus shall your possession he cleansed, myself abiding with you. For I AM the Lord that dwell among the children of Israel. 

Deuteronomy 20:19 When thou hast besieged a city a long time, and hath compassed it with bulwarks to take it, thou shalt not cut down the trees that may be eaten of, neither shalt thou spoil the country round about with axes: for it is a tree, and not a man, neither can it increase the number of them that fight against thee.

Now let's look at 4 (of the 9 Books) of the Books of Wisdom from the Old Covenant/Testament which remind us of the above lessons, and that humans can learn about God from His creation, but also warns us not to fall into the error of worshipping the earth or her creatures, who were so beautifully created by God.

Psalm 23(24):1-2 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the inhabited world and all those dwelling in her. He founded her upon the seas, and upon the rivers He prepared her. 

Psalm 94(95):3-5 For the Lord is a great God and a great King over all the earth. For in His hand are the ends of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are His. For the sea is His, and He made her; and the dry land did His hands fashion. 

Job 12:7-12 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee: and the birds of the air, and they shall tell thee. Speak to the earth, and it shall answer thee: and the fishes of the sea shall tell. Who is ignorant that the hand of the Lord hath made all these things? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the spirit of all flesh of man. Doth not the ear discern words, and the palate of him that eateth, the taste? In the ancient is wisdom, and in length of days prudence. 

Proverbs 12:10-11 The just regardeth the lives of his beasts: but the bowels of the wicked are cruel. He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that pursueth idleness is very foolish. He that is delighted in passing his time over wine, leaveth a reproach in his strong holds. 

Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15 For God made not death, neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the living. For he created all things that they might be: and he made the nations of the earth for health: and there is no poison of destruction in them, nor kingdom of hades upon the earth. For justice is perpetual and immortal. 

Wisdom of Solomon 2:1, 6-9, 21-24 For they have said, reasoning with themselves, but not right: [...] The time of our life is short and tedious, and in the end of a man there is no remedy, and no man hath been known to have returned from hell: Come therefore, and let us enjoy the good things that are present, and let us speedily use the creatures as in youth. Let us fill ourselves with costly wine, and ointments: and let not the flower of the time pass by us. Let us crown ourselves with roses, before they be withered: let no meadow escape our riot. Let none of us go without his part in luxury: let us everywhere leave tokens of joy: for this is our portion, and this our lot. [...] These things they thought, and were deceived: for their own malice blinded them. And they knew not the secrets of God, nor hoped for the wages of justice, nor esteemed the honour of holy souls. For God created man incorruptible, and to the image of his own likeness he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world: And they follow him that are of his side. 

Wisdom of Solomon 13:1-7 But all men are vain, in whom there is not the knowledge of God: and who by these good things that are seen, could not understand him that is, neither by attending to the works have acknowledged who was the workman: But have imagined either the fire, or the wind, or the swift air, or the circle of the stars, or the great water, or the sun and moon, to be the gods that rule the world. With whose beauty, if they, being delighted, took them to be gods: let them know how much the Lord of them is more beautiful than they: for the first author of beauty made all those things. Or if they admired their power and their effects, let them understand by them, that he that made them, is mightier than they: For by the greatness of the beauty, and of the creature, the creator of them may be seen, so as to be known thereby. But yet as to these they are less to be blamed. For they perhaps err, seeking God, and desirous to find him. For being conversant among his works, they search: and they are persuaded that the things are good which are seen.

Next, we will look at the 19 Books of Prophecy, specifically 3 (of the 7 Books) of the Major Prophets of the Old Covenant/Testament who tell us not to harm the earth.

Isaias(Isaiah) 24:4-5 The earth mourned, and faded away, and is weakened: the world faded away, the height of the people of the earth is weakened. And the earth is infected by the inhabitants thereof: because they have transgressed the laws, they have changed the ordinance, they have broken the everlasting covenant. 

Jeremias(Jeremiah) 2:7, 9-10 And I brought you into a fruitful, plentiful land, to eat the fruit thereof, and the best things thereof: and when ye entered in, you defiled my land, and made my inheritance an abomination. [...] Therefore will I yet contend in judgement with you, saith the Lord, and I will plead with your children. Pass over to the isles of Cethim, and see: and send into Cedar, and consider diligently: and see if there hath been done anything like this. 

Ezekiel 34:18 Was it not enough for you to feed upon good pastures? But you must also tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures: and when you drank the clearest water, you troubled the rest with your feet.

Now we will move on to the New Covenant/Testament. First let us check 1 of the (4) Holy Gospels written by the Holy Evangelists which shows us how to be stewards of what we are given, including the earth from the Word of Our Lord and Saviour, God the Son, the Son of Man, and the Sun of Righteousness, Jesus Christ.

The Gospel According to Saint Luke 19:11-26 And as they heard these things He added and spake a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and they thought that the kingdom of God was immediately about to be shown forth. He saith therefore, "A certain well-born man went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And having called his own ten slaves, he gave ten minas to them, and said to them, 'Transact business while I go and return.' But his citizens kept on hating him, and sent forth an embassy after him, saying 'We are unwilling for this man to reign over us.' And it came to pass, when he returned, having received the kingdom, that he commanded those slaves to be called to him, to whom he gave money, in order that he might find out what each gained by trading. And the first came up, saying, 'Lord, thy mina gained ten minas.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave! Because in a very little thou wast faithful, be thou having authority over ten cities.' And the second came, saying, 'Lord,thy mina made five minas.' And he said also to this one, 'Be thou also over five cities.' And another came saying, 'Lord, behold thy mina, which I was keeping laid up in a napkin. For I was afraid of thee, because thou art an austere man. Thou takest up what thou didst not lay down, and reapest what thou didst not sow, and gatherest together where thou didst not winnow. He saith to him, 'Out of thy mouth will I judge thee, O wicked slave. Thou knowest that I am an austere man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow, and gathering together where I did not winnow; and why didst thou not give my money to the bank, and indeed after I came I would have exacted payment from it with interest?' And to those standing by he said, 'Take away the mina from him, and give it to the one who hath the ten minas.' And they said to him, 'Lord he hath ten minas.' For I say to you that to everyone who hath shall be given; but from the one who hath not, even what he hath shall be taken away from him."

Now let's check from 1 of the (21) Epistles that the Holy Apostles wrote in the New Covenant/Testament, teaching the Word of Christ to the local individual churches of the Church.

The Epistle of Saint Paul to the Romans 8:19-22 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly awaiteth the revelation of the sons of God. For creation was subjected to vanity, not willingly, but on account of Him Who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself shall be freed from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth together and travaileth together until now.

And finally we will check 1 of the Apocalyptic Books written by the Saints of the New Covenant/Testament that warn us about our future and the consequences of our actions.

The Revelation of Saint John the Theologian 11:18 And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath did come, and the time of the nations to be judged and to give the reward to Thy slaves the prophets and to the saints, to those fearing Thy name, to the small and to the great, and to destroy those destroying the earth.

The Holy Prophet Ezekiel

The Holy Prophet Ezekiel lived in the sixth century before the birth of Christ. He was born in the city of Sarir, and descended from the tribe of Levi; he was a priest and the son of the priest Buzi. Ezekiel was led off to Babylon when he was twenty-five years old together with King Jeconiah II and many other Jews during the second invasion of Jerusalem by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar.

The Prophet Ezekiel lived in captivity by the River Chebar. When he was thirty years old, he had a vision of the future of the Hebrew nation and of all mankind. The prophet beheld a shining cloud, with fire flashing continually, and in the midst of the fire, gleaming bronze. He also saw four living creatures in the shape of men, but with four faces (Ez. 1:6). Each had the face of a man in front, the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and the face of an eagle at the back (Ez. 1:10). There was a wheel on the earth beside each creature, and the rim of each wheel was full of eyes.

Over the heads of the creatures there seemed to be a firmament, shining like crystal. Above the firmament was the likeness of a throne, like glittering sapphire in appearance. Above this throne was the likeness of a human form, and around Him was a rainbow (Ez. 1:4-28).

According to the explanation of the Fathers of the Church, the human likeness upon the sapphire throne prefigures the Incarnation of the Son of God from the Most Holy Virgin Mary, who is the living Throne of God. The four creatures are symbols of the four Evangelists: a man (Saint Matthew), a lion (Saint Mark), an ox (Saint Luke), and an eagle (Saint John); the wheel with the many eyes is meant to suggest the sharing of light with all the nations of the earth. During this vision the holy prophet fell down upon the ground out of fear, but the voice of God commanded him to get up. He was told that the Lord was sending him to preach to the nation of Israel. This was the beginning of Ezekiel’s prophetic service.

The Prophet Ezekiel announces to the people of Israel, held captive in Baylon, the tribulations it would face for not remaining faithful to God. The prophet also proclaimed a better time for his fellow-countrymen, and he predicted their return from Babylon, and the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple.

There are two significant elements in the vision of the prophet: the vision of the temple of the Lord, full of glory (Ez. 44:1-10); and the bones in the valley, to which the Spirit of God gave new life (Ez. 37:1-14). The vision of the temple was a mysterious prefiguring of the race of man freed from the working of the Enemy and the building up of the Church of Christ through the redemptive act of the Son of God, incarnate of the Most Holy Theotokos. Ezekiel’s description of the shut gate of the sanctuary, through which the Lord God would enter (Ez. 44: 2), is a prophecy of the Virgin giving birth to Christ, yet remaining a virgin. The vision of the dry bones prefigured the universal resurrection of the dead, and the new eternal life bestowed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

The holy Prophet Ezekiel received from the Lord the gift of wonderworking. He, like the Prophet Moses, divided the waters of the river Chebar, and the Hebrews crossed to the opposite shore, escaping the pursuing Chaldeans. During a time of famine the prophet asked God for an increase of food for the hungry.

Ezekiel was condemned to execution because he denounced a certain Hebrew prince for idolatry. Bound to wild horses, he was torn to pieces. Pious Hebrews gathered up the torn body of the prophet and buried it upon Maur Field, in the tomb of Sim and Arthaxad, forefathers of Abraham, not far from Baghdad. The prophecy of Ezekiel is found in the book named for him, and is included in the Old Testament.

St Demetrius of Rostov (October 28 and September 21) explains to believers the following concepts in the book of the Prophet Ezekiel: if a righteous man turns from righteousness to sin, he shall die for his sin, and his righteousness will not be remembered. If a sinner repents, and keeps God’s commandments, he will not die. His former sins will not be held against him, because now he follows the path of righteousness (Ez. 3:20; 18:21-24).

Apolytikion of Prophet Ezekiel

As we celebrate the memory of Thy Prophet Ezekiel, O Lord, through him we beseech Thee to save our souls.

Kontakion of Prophet Ezekiel

O divine Ezekiel, as God's true Prophet, thou foretoldest unto all the Incarnation of the Lord, the Lamb of God, the Artificer, the Son of God, the Eternal made manifest.