The Armenian Genocide

Perhaps you have never heard of the Armenian Genocide! Whether we have personal knowledge of historical events or not or perhaps deny that they ever happened, it does not mean that they can be erased or vanished. We know that genocide is the deliberate killing of a large group of people which is usually and mostly relevant to ethnicity. The Armenian Genocide was a very real occurrence in history. I personally just recently became aware of this atrocity, even though it took place a hundred years ago in Turkey. Most of us know about the holocaust in which Hitler killed millions of human beings, mostly Jews, even though there are still some that want to deny that this also ever happened. Well, the Armenian Genocide is perhaps a 20^th century precursor to the holocaust in which more than a million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman government between 1915 and 1923, actually by 1918 more than a million had already been killed. If you wish to be more informed on this human history event, you can contact the Armenian National Institute in Washington, DC or visit the following link:

Armenian Genocide

Of course, you may ask me why it is I am writing about this on an ecumenism blog. My response is very simple and brief.  Pope Francis recently brought up this genocide and definitely raised awareness almost instantly!  Also, the WCC (World Council of Churches) Executive Committee released a statement on the Armenian Genocide on June 11th, 2015. In fact, the statement by the WCC was a warning read aloud and in a public service of remembrance by Dr Agnes Abuom in Yerevan on June 10th, 2015. The WCC said: “Denial, impunity and the failure to remember such events encourage their repetition (www.oikoumene.org).” You can get the full article for this WCC statement at the following link:

WCC Executive Committee releases statement on Armenian genocide — World Council of Churches

References:

http://www.armenian-genocide.org/genocide.html

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/12/europe/pope-francis-turkey-armenia-genocide-reference/

https://www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/wcc-executive-committee-releases-statement-on-armenian-genocide

The Christian Agenda?

These days everyone seems to have an agenda in one way or another. Political parties whether on the left or the right of the spectrum have agendas and ideas as to what they think are best ways for society to function. Christians, similarly, are also divided in their thinking or perhaps polarized. I simply wanted to reflect a bit on the Scriptures in this post just to see if there is a wrong or right agenda as Christians. My thought is that Christians seem to act according to their reasoning or as to what they seem to understand is right, at times. This forgoing is often based on which denomination they belong. Some adhere to Scriptures (Sola Scriptura), some listen to the Pope, and so on…. But, who is correct? The answer probably is somewhere in the middle, but who is to say that is really correct. John the Baptist once said with relevance to Jesus: "He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30)." Perhaps that was and is the best agenda for all Christians to have, that he must increase, but we must decrease. In other words, that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven increasingly. We are from the earth, and this should be the transformation which takes place within us daily. If John the Baptist said that "He must increase, but I must decrease,” I think that it is wise to adhere to what he said. After all, Jesus said once that “among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11, Luke 7:28)."

Of course, one could argue that John the Baptist was saying this specifically about himself and his mission on planet Earth as the “voice crying in the wilderness,” to reference Isaiah 40:3-5. However, I don’t think that any Christian really believes that "He must increase, but I must decrease” pertains to John the Baptist alone, but also to all of us following in the footsteps of Christ. In fact, I doubt that Saint Paul would have ever said in Colossians 1: 27, “...the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (RSV Bible),” if that was not what we believe. I hope you have enjoyed reading this brief reflection. Blessings!

Reference:

Bible, Revised Standard Version

ABOLISH Daylight Savings TIME

This is one of those things that I feel strongly about. Please like my page on Facebook!



ABOLISH Daylight Savings TIME

Arango's Apologetics Page: Partners in the Crime

Greetings, I hope everyone is enjoying the spring season, although here in South Florida it already feels like summer…it feels hot to say the least. I only wanted to share a new article on the sibling blog, Arango's Apologetics Page. The article is titled: Partners in the Crime. I hope you enjoy reading it. The link to it is found below. Blessings!

Arango's Apologetics Page: Partners in the Crime

Massacre in Kenya

On April 2nd at Garrissa University in Kenya, al Shabaab killed almost 150 people, many of which were Christians. In fact, they were seemingly singled out because of the fact that they were Christian. I simply wanted to share this article from the World Council of Churches which discusses how the Rev. Dr Eliud Wabukala called for unity for the purpose of defeating  terrorism. Please click on the link below to read the full article. Blessings and I hope you enjoy reading!



Anglican Church of Kenya calls for unity to defeat terrorism — World Council of Churches






Reference:

http://www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/anglican-church-of-kenya-calls-for-unity-to-defeat-terrorism

Arango's Apologetics Page: A Holy Week Post

This Holy Week I thought that perhaps it would be good to share any posts on either of my two blogs jointly; consequently, this is one. I just wrote it this morning, and it is a reading from the Gospel of Mark 15: 1-39. I hope everyone enjoys! Blessings! The link is below.


Arango's Apologetics Page: A Holy Week Post

Suicide Bombers at Two Pakistani Churches

I felt like sharing this article simply becasue of the first thoughts I had as soon as I began reading it. The headlines read: Suicide Bombers Target Sunday Services At 2 Pakistani Churches. The article by Krishnadev Calamur begins as follows:

"At least 14 people are dead and 70 wounded after blasts targeted two churches in Lahore, Pakistan, during Sunday services.

The churches, one Catholic and the other Protestant, are located near each other in the predominantly Christian Youhanabad area of Lahore (npr.org)."

My initial thoughts were that, seemingly, the evil doers see Christians in a more ecumenical way than we see ourselves. Obviously, the bombers did not differentiate between Catholic and Protestant in their mission. I just wanted to share this as food for thought. Please, pray for both the victims and the ones who inflict harm as well that they may one day convert, and become followers of Christ. Follow the link below for the full article, thanks and blessings!

Suicide Bombers Target Sunday Services At 2 Pakistani Churches : The Two-Way : NPR

Reference:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/03/15/393141997/suicide-bombers-target-sunday-services-at-2-pakistani-churches-14-dead?sc=tw