Tuesday, November 27, 2018

The Views of Orthodox Theology on Bioethical Issues (1 of 6)


By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

1. Introduction

I have been involved for many years with bioethical problems arising from contemporary genetic issues concerning the beginning of biological life, its prolongation and its end. The outcome of this involvement was my book Bioethics and Biotheology, which was published in Greek.

This book attempts to give a brief presentation of the genetic problems, from the point of view of molecular biology and genetic engineering, and after each chapter the theological view of the Orthodox Church on each issue is briefly set out.

This is an English translation of the theological views of the Orthodox Church on bioethical issues, which have been taken from the above-mentioned book. The English translation is by Sister Pelagia.

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

The Unbelieving Physicist and a Miracle Above and Beyond the Laws of Nature

St. Iakovos Tsalikes holding the censer and cane of St. David of Evia

By Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

A few days before we went to the monastery in Evia, some people came from a village and asked Fr. Iakovos Tsalikes to take some relics of Saint David and to perform a Supplicatory Canon for them. As he was leaving, there was a woman from Canada named Maria, and there was a nun with her, from Cyprus actually, and they went to see Fr. Iakovos.

The young woman who was from Canada was a physicist, but she didn’t believe and was probably an atheist. When they got there, Fr. Iakovos told them he was leaving to go to a village. He added: ‘But I hope that Saint David, who’s here in our monastery, will show you that there really are saints and the grace of the Holy Spirit. God exists and He overcomes the laws of nature.'