Sept 11th remembrance at OCA webpage.

[Mor Ephrem]

But all of that is beside the point, in my opinion. Over the past few weeks, I've seen Peter get questioned about why he posts stuff from the OCA. The sense that underlies these questions, in my opinion, is that posting anything--anything--from a new calendar jurisdiction is akin to a crime against humanity. Now maybe if he posted things that go against your doctrine, maybe you have a right to question it, but from my reading, there has been nothing like that coming from him. Why the intense distaste for anything--anything at all--coming from new calendar jurisdictions like the OCA? For heaven's sake, this was a 9-11 memorial, not a defence of Sergianism or a statement in favour of concelebration with Catholics! I must admit that this kind of attitude perplexes and disturbs me.

[Justin Kissel]

I think both sides are making too big a deal out of it. Someone asked about Peter regarding his relationship with the OCA/ROCOR. Then people start getting defensive. Why not just drop it? Both conversations would be better elsewhere. I myself do not find anything (especially) personally offensive about going off topic in a 9/11 thread (as opposed to any other thread) as I think it's largely a misunderstood event anyway (we should be repenting for our sins when we think about it--just like most other Godly people did for thousands of years before us when disaster struck--not wanting to go out and get vengeance, or turning it into a "chance to come together and celebrate unity")

[OrthodoxyOrDeath]

Getting back to the topic then, why is "remembering" (as if anyone has forgotten) 9/11 so important?

Like Justin pointed out, there are many babies being aborted every day. In addition, there are a host of other evils througout the world far more severe and important - like the slaughter of 300,000+ Rwandans as a result of the UN peacekeepers pulling out of that country; but what makes that far more shameful is that they KNEW it was likely to happen!

9/11 is not primarily about people dying, it is primarily about an attack on the "American" icon of society and life.

And since "America" is just an idea, and in many ways equally as corrupt as any communist idea, I would say I "remember" the Rwandans first. After all, how many of these so-called high moral idealist American's remember the first thing about the Rwandan genocide, which happened while they were busy bombing Serbian children? You see, in any other country "patriotism" is called "nationalism" and you get labelled a "war monger", and ironically enough, bombed for it.

I am an Orthodox Christian (however sinful) only, that is the country in which I try to live. And that country is not on Earth.

Last week some woman came by all the houses in the neighborhood putting flags in everyones lawn. I didn't stop her when she reached mine, because that is now one less American flag the Heavens will have to bear to see.

I know I can now expect some flag waving individual to now say: "if you don't like it here why don't you get out".

They always say, don't discuss religion or politics at a barber shop. Now we have some politics here too. Better keep an eye on this thread Justin, someone is bound to get bounced, and its probably me!

[rebecca]

That's true. We should remember how many people are violently killed throughout the world every day. Abortion, war, terrorism...People are so affected by 9/11 because they formerly had a profound sense of security in America. We haven't had any wars in this country in a long time, and this is the most powerful country in the world. If, say, Palestinian terrorists had flown planes into Israeli buildings and killed 3000 people, the world definitely wouldn't have been so shocked and dismayed.

That said, I'm not trying to downplay the destruction and anguish the terrorist acts caused, nor am I stereotyping Palestinians as terrorists.

P.S. What's wrong with a little patriotism? Freedom of religion, laws against discrimination, and the (relative) ease of social mobility make this one of the best places to live.

[bogoliubtsy]

"If anyone does not care for his own, and especially for his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Tm.5 :8 ).

And Like Fr. Seraphim Rose said: "Try to remember that all real Christian work is local- right here and now, between myself and God and my neighbor."

The people who died were our fellow countrymen- our neighbors, and in some cases friends or members of our own families. Because their sufferings(and America's sufferings) are not "up to par" with those in Rwanda and Serbia, does not negate the fact that thousands of human lives were lost and that we should pray for their souls and for our enemies who killed them. If we cannot feel empathy for our "physical" neighbors, how can we say with a clean heart that we truly feel empathy for those halfway across the world. It has to start here.

[OrthodoxyOrDeath]

"If anyone does not care for his own, and especially for his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Tm.5 :8 ).

Yes of course, I care very much for my own household.

And because those in Rwanda, 300,000 of them, were not technically our “countrymen” I should shed less tears?

Again, how many Americans even know where Rwanda is on a map now that these events have occurred? Where were the Americans during this genocide of 300,000? They were in the Balkans trying to save drug running KLA terrorists from being caught by the Serbian army while the American public was being spoon fed buzzwords like “patriotism”, “freedom”, “genocide”, and “butcher of the Balkans”. Ironically enough, not a single Albanian lost their home until the Americans started bombing, killing more people in 6 months than had been killed there in 3 years. And no sooner did they park their aircraft named after their own genocidal tendencies like the “Blackhawk” and the “Apache”, did their Albanian terrorists friends skip the border into FROY Macedonia and start a civil war there.

I don’t deny the anguish for the events which happened in New York, nor the sorrow for those who died, I am simply saying that they are miniscule compared to other recent events in the world – and that I believe the “sorrow” and “outrage” most Americans feel about 9/11 are really about an attack on the “icon” that is America, and not so much dead "Americans".

The Apostle Paul says: "Sorrow in God worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh death" (II Cor. 7:10). The sorrow a man who believes in God goes through is sorrow which is sweetened by hope, and this is why it is a joyful sorrow, "gladdening sorrow", and with repentance it brings him to the salvation of his soul. 9/11 is thick with sorrow for the world, specifically, the "American world".

[rebecca]

It's easier for us to remember (and help) the victims of terrorism here because it hits so close to home.

We shouldn't spend too much time grieving over the multitudinous evils in the world. We should pray for them and help in the small ways we can (like voting for pro-life people, sending $ to reputable causes,etc.) I have to remind myself of that, or I'll go mad.

P.S. The KLA is connected to that Osama bin Laden group. ( won't even try to spell)[/i]