today our cross-cultural group visited three churches off of Straight Street in the Old City of Damascus. One was Greek Orthodox, one was Armenian Orthodox, and one was Greek Catholic. In the Greek Orthodox church we were able to speak with a priest and in the Armenian Orthodox we heard from the Bishop of the Damascus diocese.
it is so interesting to begin to realize the ways of knowing God that I haven't learned about and don't understand. my Mennonite background has done little to help me understand God through mediums such as icons and grand architecture. and yet as the priest and bishop spoke it was clear that for many people these symbols hold deep significance...
i am learning a lot about Christianity from being here; realizing the role Syria played in the Christian story - even from before Jesus' birth. One of the oddest and most complicated thing about being here is that I am an American Christian. By this I mean: as an American I am, in the eyes of many people in the Middle East, at best meddling in things I have no right to, and at worst directly opposed to the interests of people living here. While I have been told and have witnessed that Syrian people are very good at separating people from their government, I still feel like I am lumped into a category of people that I don't necessarily want to be a part of. [Side note: see below] At the same time, I am a Christian who is part of an international family - one with no borders, no boundaries. I belong in the Syrian Orthodox church, I can pray with the Armenians...
[side note] to quote my Arabic teacher, the support the US government has given to Egypt's Hosni Mubarak is the type of thing that "makes the Arab world fume." many of the democracy minded people living in the Middle East hear western countries (namely the US with our 'war on terror') promoting democracy and seeking to develop democracy in the Middle Eastern countries, while simultaneously supporting rulers like Mubarak with billions of dollars. soooo maybe that makes it clear why I am reluctant to be identified as American here.
interesting factoid of the day: the armenian orthodox church does not have crucifixes, because they say that Jesus on the cross is only the beginning. All of their crosses are empty. In the words of the Armenian bishop, their focus on the resurrection is "perhaps the reason [we] survived the genocide."
^for those of you that don't know, Armenians were heavily persecuted (under the ottoman empire? i'm not sure) and, while the numbers are disputed, up to a million or more may have died around 1915.
it is so interesting to begin to realize the ways of knowing God that I haven't learned about and don't understand. my Mennonite background has done little to help me understand God through mediums such as icons and grand architecture. and yet as the priest and bishop spoke it was clear that for many people these symbols hold deep significance...
i am learning a lot about Christianity from being here; realizing the role Syria played in the Christian story - even from before Jesus' birth. One of the oddest and most complicated thing about being here is that I am an American Christian. By this I mean: as an American I am, in the eyes of many people in the Middle East, at best meddling in things I have no right to, and at worst directly opposed to the interests of people living here. While I have been told and have witnessed that Syrian people are very good at separating people from their government, I still feel like I am lumped into a category of people that I don't necessarily want to be a part of. [Side note: see below] At the same time, I am a Christian who is part of an international family - one with no borders, no boundaries. I belong in the Syrian Orthodox church, I can pray with the Armenians...
[side note] to quote my Arabic teacher, the support the US government has given to Egypt's Hosni Mubarak is the type of thing that "makes the Arab world fume." many of the democracy minded people living in the Middle East hear western countries (namely the US with our 'war on terror') promoting democracy and seeking to develop democracy in the Middle Eastern countries, while simultaneously supporting rulers like Mubarak with billions of dollars. soooo maybe that makes it clear why I am reluctant to be identified as American here.
interesting factoid of the day: the armenian orthodox church does not have crucifixes, because they say that Jesus on the cross is only the beginning. All of their crosses are empty. In the words of the Armenian bishop, their focus on the resurrection is "perhaps the reason [we] survived the genocide."
^for those of you that don't know, Armenians were heavily persecuted (under the ottoman empire? i'm not sure) and, while the numbers are disputed, up to a million or more may have died around 1915.
Wow. You're doing such awesome stuff, Emily. So many of these posts would be the start of good conversations, if you were in earshot. Next time I see you, I'd love to hear more about your learnings about Orthodoxy there. I did a whole independent study on Iconography in seminary -- one of the most enjoyable experiences of that time for me. I'd be glad to share my paper from that class with you.
ReplyDeletei can't wait to talk to you, chad! and of course i'd be glad to read your paper.
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog and I'm so excited to talk about your experience with you in person. I guess I can't write so good to be able to do it now :-)
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