tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406696505137896128.post8823121271052708633..comments2008-11-10T15:41:22.873-06:00Gregory Brechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15698136890676493235gregory@contemporaryorthodoxy.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406696505137896128.post-71164136207475703772008-11-10T15:41:22.873-06:002008-11-10T15:41:22.873-06:00It is certainly easy for us pious Christians 5,000 miles from the incident to advocate peace and tranquility among the angelic order. Just last month there was some ruckus on the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where there is a dispute between Egyptian Copts and Ethiopian Copts about "who owns the monastery" on the roof. Seems the Egyptians perceive the Ethiopians, who occupy the physical structure, as squatters. I recall that there is a dispute about who should remove a ladder that apparently was leant against the inside of the building for cleaning purposes some time at the beginning of the last century, so the ladder has remained there for almost 100 years! Now we Americans seem to have a "learning disability" for historical perspective; "we don't like history." I suspect that these monks are viewing the historical significance of this Church from the perspective of centuries as opposed to the American time frame of football season to basketball season, dove season to deer season, tax season to tax season, or quarterly report to next quarterly report. A couple of years ago NPR did a "man on the street" interview asking this question, "Who were the main opponents during the French and Indian War?" Of course, the preponderance of respondents indicated, "Of course, the French against the Indians!" We do not even have an historical perspective for our own history prior to 1776. (BTW, the French and Indian War occurred 1754–1763, less than 15 years before our own Revolution on this continent.) So, frankly, if I were a Greek monk responsible for insuring the integrity of my Church's space at that site--every inch of physical space counts--so, start doing the math. If a rival group starts sweeping an extra inch of my jurisdiction's space for ten years, then starts sweeping yet another inch of "my" space for another ten years, etc., that's ten inches in 100 years. So eventually my jurisdiction will be "swept out the door." So, yes, I would push back. If that meant physically, yes.<BR/><BR/>The "Devil's Advocate"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406696505137896128.post-54053861928211670912008-11-09T20:05:56.168-06:002008-11-09T20:05:56.168-06:00Good Grief! I just watched the video! What a scandalous display! If I were an inquirer into Orthodoxy, this might just turn me away (and turn my stomach, too).Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00637064836812571673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406696505137896128.post-6000211594173186542008-11-09T19:57:12.664-06:002008-11-09T19:57:12.664-06:00This type of behavior in that location has been going on for years. That doesn't condone it, though. I'm wondering if their national temperament gets in the way of a more pacific way to decide such things. Perhaps they are both just stubborn. Who knows?Suzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00637064836812571673noreply@blogger.com