Military Service and Orthodoxy

Justin2 · Post by **Justin2** » Fri 25 July 2003 7:58 pm

I'm going to basic training in a week. Any thoughts?

尼古拉前执事 · Post by **尼古拉前执事** » Sat 26 July 2003 12:23 am

Congrats. Which Armed Forces?

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Sat 26 July 2003 12:37 pm

Pray a lot. If you get persecuted for it, thank God for it. Endure. There's light on the other side.

Justin2 · Post by **Justin2** » Sat 26 July 2003 12:57 pm

I'm going into the Army (Intelligence). As for the persecution and praying, I'm looking forward to the opportunity, but we'll see. They don't generally push people around there for believeing in God, and in fact they encourage it to some extent. I've gotten negative feedback from monks and other bretheren I know, and although this is a bit of a tangent, it makes me wonder what they think about St. George. He was raised Orthodox, and he joined the Roman Legions, and did such a good job, he became a trophy-bearer.

Nektarios14 · Post by **Nektarios14** » Sat 26 July 2003 8:34 pm

I have a good quote from Saint Cyrill for you (IF I CAN FIND IT!) about military service... For monastics it wouldn't befit them to fight in the military since they have already died to the world there is no reason to defend their own lives. But Orthodoxy does not have any problem at all with everybody else fighting in the military.