The Russian-Orthodox Journal

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Tue 29 June 2004 2:29 pm

A couple years ago, I obtained about 35 copies of a publication called The Russian-Orthodox Journal. At the time that I got them, I didn't really look through them much as they seemed to be more of a magazine for an OCA "social club" than anything else. However, recently I went back through them, and while not totally being freed from my first impression (there seems to be more about bowling, fashion shows, and sports than about religion), I saw a number of edifying and informative articles and quotes that I thought I could post excerpts of on the forum. The copies of the magazine I have are from the mid-1960's to the early-1970's, which was of course a crucial time for Russian Orthodoxy in America (Ecumenism, Sorrowful Epistles, Autocephaly, etc.)

I should say, before I actually start giving quotes, that just because I quote something, that doesn't mean I agree with it. Sometimes I will put thing up simply because I thought they were informative, and that the information derived from the quote could be used productively. FWIW, a number of the articles I'll be posting (or excerpting) are from Fr. Michael Azkoul and Alexander Solzhenityn.

"... Our use of the names we apply to our churches points to the weakening of the sense of unity. Let me remind you that St. Paul wrote his Epistles to "the Church in Corinth," "the Church in Rome," etc., not to the Corinthian church. In contrast, we do just the opposite of St. Paul. We speak of the Serbian Church, the Russian Church, the Ukrainean Church, the Greek Church, or the Syrian Church. We put the sterss simply on our national origin. This comes in first place, and the Church of God comes second. This is patently unbiblical and erroneous. In the same sense it would be wrong to speak about an American Orthodox Church. We should speak about the Orthodox Church in America.

In doing so, we put stress upon the unity of the church. The church is one. Christ is not divided... the Orthodox Church is not only for a certain group of people... Orthodoxy is not limited to certain geographic areas and cultures... the Orthodox Church transcends East and West. If we sometimes speak about the Eastern Church, this does not mean that this church is only for the East. It implies that the church was shaped, formed, and preserved in the Eastern Part of the Roman Empire. If this church is the church, then it is for the West as well." - Dr. Veselin Kesich, The Russian-Orthodox Journal (February 1971), p. 5

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Wed 30 June 2004 2:44 pm

From Father Vladimir Answers Your Questions:

"Q. I attended a funeral of a relative, and I noticed that the Priest placed some sort of paper headband on the deceased. What was it? What is the purpose and meaning, if there is any?

A. The paper head band is called Crown or in Slavonic Venets. This paper crown is symbolic of the crowns that will be bestowed by our Lord on all worthy members of the Church of Christ upon their entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. They have the same meaning as the crowns that are used during the Sacrament of Marriage. A Christian who has walked faithfully in the ways of righteousness, and who has fought the good fight will receive the crowns promised as a reward to worthy followers of Jesus Christ.

In the Book of Revelation we read that 24 elders were seated on thrones, 'clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads" (Rev. 4:4), and the Angel of the Lord tells the faithful: "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.' (Rev. 2:10)

At death, the symbolic crown is placed upon the faithful in anticipation that he will be found worthy to receive the crown of the Heavenly Kingdom.

The crowns are usually decorated with the icons of Christ, the Theotokos, and Saint John the Baptist, and with the song of praise of the Holy Trinity, 'Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal!'"

Q. Do I commit a sin when I dance during Lent? If so, why is it not a sin at other times?

A. To dance during Lent is to sin against the Church, because this is a time set aside by the Church for prayer, meditation, charity, and fasting. It can be a sin to dance at other times also. Dancing can be innocent pleasure, or form of entertainment, but it can also be lewd and sinful. The average Christian knows very well when he is crossing the border. Let your conscience by your guide."

From: The Russian Orthodox Journal, September 1960, p. 17

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Mon 5 July 2004 2:11 pm

The following is a Resolution on Soviet Persecution adopted at the 40th annual Federate Russian Orthodox Clubs (FROC) convention. The Russian-Orthodox Journal is basically the way that FROC told it's members what is going on in their club and in the Orthodox world.

"The 40th Annual Convention of the Federated Russian Orthodox Clubs comprised of many American-born Orthodox Christians throughout the United States meeting in Pasadena, California, from September 2 through 5, 1966 being once more reminded that strangulation of Christianity in Communist COuntries is proceeding on a scale unheard of in human history, direct their voices to the government of our United States of America to this situation by way of the following resolution:

WHEREAS, the government of the Soviet Union has been systematically closing down by suppression monasteries, convents, churches and seminaries; and

WHEREAS, the government of the Soviet Union persecutes bishops who distribute diocesan epistles, which inform the faithful of the persecution of the church; and

WHEREAS, the government of the Soviet Union by discriminating economic means such as taxing church workers an exhorbitant percentage of their income, supresses support of religion; and

WHEREAS, the government of the Soviet Union by absolute control of the press and all printing equipment does not permit distribution of religious material; and

WHEREAS, the atheist chariman of the Council of Church affairs of the Soviet Council of Ministers has suppressed religious teaching of the youth by banning all children between 3 and 18 years of age from attending church and receiving Holy Communion; and

WHEREAS, local Soviet authorities persecute pilgrims attending monasteries in Russia and do not in many cases permit heating of church; and

WHEREAS, the government of the Soviet Union cand and does close active churches on the claim that a building is non-productive property; and

WHEREAS, the persecution by the Soviet government has led to the closing in the past ten years of over 10,000 churches, 60 monasteries, and the closing of four of eight existing seminaries:

BE IT RESOLVED:

THAT members of the Federated Russian Orthodox Clubs condemn the religious persecution in the U.S.S.R.
THAT members of the Federated Russian Orthodox Clubs throughout the United States and Canada bring out to all news media the facts of the persecution of religion in the U.S.S.R.
THAT the United States State Department and the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees be informed that while all religions suffer in the Soviet Union, it is the vast Orthodox Christian majority that has borne the brunt of this oppression by totalitarian Marxism.
THAT the United States State Department be requested to take necessary steps to protest the persecution to the proper Soviet authorities.
THAT the Soviet Embassy in the United States of America be informed that we Orthodox Christians living in the Americas are cognizant of the utter hypocrisy of the government of the U.S.S.R. about the religious freedom supposedly guaranteed by the Soviet Constitution."

-- Russian-Orthodox Journal, October 1966, p. 2