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Re: Western Armenians
Couple this post with vrej's post on number of hidden Armenians. Also the Armenian from Tajikistan that wanted to repatriate but was denied.
None of these Armenians wanted the fate delt them. They had no choice.
None of the scattered Armenians from 1915 (OR) any of the other forced relocations throughout our sad history wanted that.
I can only assume there are genuine priests in our church. How many? Mmmm
My opinion, the ruling priesthood does a great disservice to those Armenians who have been --- TORN --- away against their will.
Also a great disservice to those who remain by not teaching them compassion for their fellow countrymen.
Looks to me as if the top tear of church functions as an oligarch entity.
Which is more important ... To retain power and authority or tend to the flock?
Somehow, humility and Mercedes Benz don't seem to go hand in hand.
Unless your high up in the Armenian church.
Originally posted by Vrej1915
View Post
TO BAPTIZE OR NOT TO BAPTIZE THE HIDDEN ARMENIANS
14/08/15
Diyarbakir Armenians baptized at Etchmiadzin in August 2014 (Photo
by Gulisor Akkum/The Armenian Weekly)
BY RAFFI BEDROSYAN
FROM THE ARMENIAN WEEKLY
Along with the many high points experienced during the historic
Armenia trip of the 80 hidden Armenians from Turkey, there were also
a few low points. The highs included warm welcomes by both Armenian
government officials and common people on the street, emotional
triumphs at Sardarabad, feelings of grief at the Genocide Museum,
new-found friendships, accomplishments like spelling the alphabet
during Armenian language classes, or simply being able to order food
in Armenian at a restaurant. However, I want to point out a few of
the lows our hidden Armenians encountered--all related to baptism.
Among the members of our group, two girls from Dersim and a young man
from Diyarbakir wished to be baptized. Unfortunately, at the end of
the day, their wish did not come true.
In recent days, Armenian media--both in the Diaspora and in
Armenia--ran headline news and opinion pieces on this topic. Various
individuals gave press conferences; people opined on TV; statements
were released by the church, government, Diaspora organizations,
and political parties; while heated debates on social media argued
both for and against the decision to refuse the baptisms.
As the organizer of the group whose three members wished to be
baptized, and as the designated godfather or "gnkahayr" for these
baptisms, I would like to provide a first-hand account of what really
happened, why it happened, and what we should do to avoid such scandals
in the future.
One may recall that during the trip I organized last year for the
50 hidden Armenians from Diyarbakir to Armenia, we witnessed the
baptisms of a man and a woman in Etchmiadzin. The man was a teacher
in a public school in Diyarbakir. This year, he brought his son to
Armenia to extend the process of returning to Armenian roots to the
next generation. The woman baptized last year, on the other hand,
had an even more ominous challenge. Her husband, a devout Moslem
Kurd, had forbidden her from taking such a step. She nevertheless
decided to convert to Christianity to keep her promise to her hidden
Armenian father, who had asked her to become a Christian Armenian at
his deathbed. I am also pleased to report that she and her husband
are still happily married, and are now bravely facing the challenge
of how to raise their child together--whether as an Armenian, a Kurd,
a Christian, or a Moslem.
Therefore, this year when three members of our group approached me
with their wish to be baptized, I thought--perhaps naively--that
again I can go ahead and arrange the baptisms for the day we visit
Etchmiadzin. The two Dersimtsi girls would take the names Anahit
and Nairi, and the Dikranagerdtsi man from Diyarbakir would become
Madteos Paramaz. One of the Dersim girls had a brother who was already
baptized last year. The Dikranagerdsi man was a distant relative of
the family involved in the reconstruction of the Surp Giragos Church
in Diyarbakir.
Participants of this year's trip at Dzidzernagapert
Unfortunately, the baptisms could neither happen in Echmiadzin, nor
in the Khor Virab Church the next day, nor in Surp Hovhannes Church in
Yerevan the following day. The explanations given to us were as varied
as the clerics involved. Some said we had to apply in writing months
in advance; then, the applications would be reviewed by a religious
council before permission could be considered. Others said we needed
to bring a letter from the Istanbul Acting Patriarch Archbisop Aram
Atesyan granting permission for the baptisms. One cleric suggested
the candidates must visit Armenia at least three times before being
eligible. An even more preposterous suggestion came from a cleric who
wondered why we don't go to churches in Turkey since those wishing to
be baptized are all from Turkey, instead of causing headaches for him
and his superiors. I didn't bother telling him that although there
are churches in Istanbul, no churches are left in historic Armenia
except the one we reconstructed in Diyarbakir. Overall, these clerics
seemed to be unprepared as to how to deal with the baptism requests
and had to make endless calls to their superiors for a decision,
which either did not come or was ultimately negative. In any case,
they would still lead us on, that by tomorrow, there may be a positive
decision. So, each day--with our hopes high, after buying the required
towels, crosses, and headscarves for the girls--we would face renewed
disappointment. Even the intervention of the Minister of Diaspora
Hranush Hakobyan did not achieve the desired outcome.
An even more upsetting development was the zeal of critics to use this
incident to start misguided attacks. Rather than criticize the decision
itself or the persons who made the decision, we have individuals
appearing at press conferences and on TV, or writing articles in
newspapers, attacking the Armenian Church, the Ministry of Diaspora,
and the government in general. One organization called Republic of
Western Armenia even went as far as issuing fictitious citizenship
and identification cards with the baptized names printed on them,
displaying the cards with a fictitious flag, name, and photo at press
conferences and on TV. It seems these people forget or don't care that
the two Dersim girls and the Diyarbakir man will return to Turkey,
will continue living among Moslem Turks and Kurds, with their names
paraded on a fictitious republic's fake citizenship cards. Do they
have the right to jeopardize the lives of these already endangered
persons? Or for that matter, do any of these opinion makers, who pass
along all sorts of judgment in the media, care about the emotions
of these three young people who had made such a personal decision as
changing their faith, their religion?
The hidden Armenians have no control over their ethnic roots,
their genetic identity--they were given no choice. They were born
as Armenians, even though the fact that they are Armenians was not
revealed to them until later in life. Some of them have now made a
conscious decision to return to their ethnic roots. But changing
religion by converting to Christianity is an entirely different
matter. No one is born with a religion--Christian or Moslem. Religion
is not a genetic identity but a faith acquired by personal choice and
through family. If someone has made the decision to become Christian
through baptism, there should be no individual, no institution, or
no force to prevent that from happening--especially in the case of
hidden Armenians, who are taking a risk by revealing their Armenian
identity, and by converting to Christianity. If the reason for these
increasingly difficult barriers that prevent baptisms is misgivings
of abuse, there should be other ways of dealing with them quickly and
without delay. Sure, there could be some Moslem Turks or Kurds just
pretending to be hidden Armenians. There could be others who have no
intention of becoming Christian Armenian and who are getting baptized
to gain some sort of advantage, such as employment or a way out of
Turkey and into Europe or the Americas. However, these exceptions
should not lead to draconian rules and regulations for all others
who genuinely want to become Christian. Moreover, why do we have
godfathers? The role of the godfather is to assure the Church that
the person being baptized is eligible and worthy of baptism, and there
should be no excuse or delay by the cleric for further investigation.
The objective of Project Rebirth is to help the hidden Armenians think,
feel, and act as Armenians. Our work will continue regardless of the
barriers placed by certain people. Whether these hidden Armenians
become Christian or not, they have decided to return to their Armenian
roots, and we will continue encouraging them. It would be ideal if the
Church also fulfils its duty in encouraging them to become Christian
Armenians, but if not, it is still alright. After all, Armenians were
Armenians for centuries before they adopted Christianity.
http://asbarez.com/138764/to-baptize...den-armenians/
14/08/15
Diyarbakir Armenians baptized at Etchmiadzin in August 2014 (Photo
by Gulisor Akkum/The Armenian Weekly)
BY RAFFI BEDROSYAN
FROM THE ARMENIAN WEEKLY
Along with the many high points experienced during the historic
Armenia trip of the 80 hidden Armenians from Turkey, there were also
a few low points. The highs included warm welcomes by both Armenian
government officials and common people on the street, emotional
triumphs at Sardarabad, feelings of grief at the Genocide Museum,
new-found friendships, accomplishments like spelling the alphabet
during Armenian language classes, or simply being able to order food
in Armenian at a restaurant. However, I want to point out a few of
the lows our hidden Armenians encountered--all related to baptism.
Among the members of our group, two girls from Dersim and a young man
from Diyarbakir wished to be baptized. Unfortunately, at the end of
the day, their wish did not come true.
In recent days, Armenian media--both in the Diaspora and in
Armenia--ran headline news and opinion pieces on this topic. Various
individuals gave press conferences; people opined on TV; statements
were released by the church, government, Diaspora organizations,
and political parties; while heated debates on social media argued
both for and against the decision to refuse the baptisms.
As the organizer of the group whose three members wished to be
baptized, and as the designated godfather or "gnkahayr" for these
baptisms, I would like to provide a first-hand account of what really
happened, why it happened, and what we should do to avoid such scandals
in the future.
One may recall that during the trip I organized last year for the
50 hidden Armenians from Diyarbakir to Armenia, we witnessed the
baptisms of a man and a woman in Etchmiadzin. The man was a teacher
in a public school in Diyarbakir. This year, he brought his son to
Armenia to extend the process of returning to Armenian roots to the
next generation. The woman baptized last year, on the other hand,
had an even more ominous challenge. Her husband, a devout Moslem
Kurd, had forbidden her from taking such a step. She nevertheless
decided to convert to Christianity to keep her promise to her hidden
Armenian father, who had asked her to become a Christian Armenian at
his deathbed. I am also pleased to report that she and her husband
are still happily married, and are now bravely facing the challenge
of how to raise their child together--whether as an Armenian, a Kurd,
a Christian, or a Moslem.
Therefore, this year when three members of our group approached me
with their wish to be baptized, I thought--perhaps naively--that
again I can go ahead and arrange the baptisms for the day we visit
Etchmiadzin. The two Dersimtsi girls would take the names Anahit
and Nairi, and the Dikranagerdtsi man from Diyarbakir would become
Madteos Paramaz. One of the Dersim girls had a brother who was already
baptized last year. The Dikranagerdsi man was a distant relative of
the family involved in the reconstruction of the Surp Giragos Church
in Diyarbakir.
Participants of this year's trip at Dzidzernagapert
Unfortunately, the baptisms could neither happen in Echmiadzin, nor
in the Khor Virab Church the next day, nor in Surp Hovhannes Church in
Yerevan the following day. The explanations given to us were as varied
as the clerics involved. Some said we had to apply in writing months
in advance; then, the applications would be reviewed by a religious
council before permission could be considered. Others said we needed
to bring a letter from the Istanbul Acting Patriarch Archbisop Aram
Atesyan granting permission for the baptisms. One cleric suggested
the candidates must visit Armenia at least three times before being
eligible. An even more preposterous suggestion came from a cleric who
wondered why we don't go to churches in Turkey since those wishing to
be baptized are all from Turkey, instead of causing headaches for him
and his superiors. I didn't bother telling him that although there
are churches in Istanbul, no churches are left in historic Armenia
except the one we reconstructed in Diyarbakir. Overall, these clerics
seemed to be unprepared as to how to deal with the baptism requests
and had to make endless calls to their superiors for a decision,
which either did not come or was ultimately negative. In any case,
they would still lead us on, that by tomorrow, there may be a positive
decision. So, each day--with our hopes high, after buying the required
towels, crosses, and headscarves for the girls--we would face renewed
disappointment. Even the intervention of the Minister of Diaspora
Hranush Hakobyan did not achieve the desired outcome.
An even more upsetting development was the zeal of critics to use this
incident to start misguided attacks. Rather than criticize the decision
itself or the persons who made the decision, we have individuals
appearing at press conferences and on TV, or writing articles in
newspapers, attacking the Armenian Church, the Ministry of Diaspora,
and the government in general. One organization called Republic of
Western Armenia even went as far as issuing fictitious citizenship
and identification cards with the baptized names printed on them,
displaying the cards with a fictitious flag, name, and photo at press
conferences and on TV. It seems these people forget or don't care that
the two Dersim girls and the Diyarbakir man will return to Turkey,
will continue living among Moslem Turks and Kurds, with their names
paraded on a fictitious republic's fake citizenship cards. Do they
have the right to jeopardize the lives of these already endangered
persons? Or for that matter, do any of these opinion makers, who pass
along all sorts of judgment in the media, care about the emotions
of these three young people who had made such a personal decision as
changing their faith, their religion?
The hidden Armenians have no control over their ethnic roots,
their genetic identity--they were given no choice. They were born
as Armenians, even though the fact that they are Armenians was not
revealed to them until later in life. Some of them have now made a
conscious decision to return to their ethnic roots. But changing
religion by converting to Christianity is an entirely different
matter. No one is born with a religion--Christian or Moslem. Religion
is not a genetic identity but a faith acquired by personal choice and
through family. If someone has made the decision to become Christian
through baptism, there should be no individual, no institution, or
no force to prevent that from happening--especially in the case of
hidden Armenians, who are taking a risk by revealing their Armenian
identity, and by converting to Christianity. If the reason for these
increasingly difficult barriers that prevent baptisms is misgivings
of abuse, there should be other ways of dealing with them quickly and
without delay. Sure, there could be some Moslem Turks or Kurds just
pretending to be hidden Armenians. There could be others who have no
intention of becoming Christian Armenian and who are getting baptized
to gain some sort of advantage, such as employment or a way out of
Turkey and into Europe or the Americas. However, these exceptions
should not lead to draconian rules and regulations for all others
who genuinely want to become Christian. Moreover, why do we have
godfathers? The role of the godfather is to assure the Church that
the person being baptized is eligible and worthy of baptism, and there
should be no excuse or delay by the cleric for further investigation.
The objective of Project Rebirth is to help the hidden Armenians think,
feel, and act as Armenians. Our work will continue regardless of the
barriers placed by certain people. Whether these hidden Armenians
become Christian or not, they have decided to return to their Armenian
roots, and we will continue encouraging them. It would be ideal if the
Church also fulfils its duty in encouraging them to become Christian
Armenians, but if not, it is still alright. After all, Armenians were
Armenians for centuries before they adopted Christianity.
http://asbarez.com/138764/to-baptize...den-armenians/
None of these Armenians wanted the fate delt them. They had no choice.
None of the scattered Armenians from 1915 (OR) any of the other forced relocations throughout our sad history wanted that.
I can only assume there are genuine priests in our church. How many? Mmmm
My opinion, the ruling priesthood does a great disservice to those Armenians who have been --- TORN --- away against their will.
Also a great disservice to those who remain by not teaching them compassion for their fellow countrymen.
Looks to me as if the top tear of church functions as an oligarch entity.
Which is more important ... To retain power and authority or tend to the flock?
Somehow, humility and Mercedes Benz don't seem to go hand in hand.
Unless your high up in the Armenian church.
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