If you had to choose between Christianity and being Armenian.

[ArmSurvival]

Re: If you had to choose between Christianity and being Armenian.

Even secular Armenians who don't consider themselves de-facto Christians (like myself) are aware of the historical and modern role the church plays in perserving Armenian culture and history. The only Armenians who say they are against the Apostolic church either have a personal quarrel with members of the church or more likely they are simply ignorant of Armenian history.

You can even argue that one cannnot be a secular nationalist if one doesn't have a favorable position towards the church, since the church is our oldest and most influential national and cultural institution.

[Sip]

Re: If you had to choose between Christianity and being Armenian.

I can't chose my race. Fortunately, I do have the option of distancing myself from the mental disease that is known as religion.

[yerazhishda]

Re: If you had to choose between Christianity and being Armenian.

I don't care about your book. Chances are you're a crappy author.

You'd be wrong.

I have a lot of cultural feelings and that's good enough for me.

Oh that's nice. You have 'feelings' that are 'good enough for you'. It's because of people like you that the Diaspora in the West has assimilated to the point that it has. Cultural feelings aren't worth xxxx. Ask yourself what you are doing for the advancement of the Republic and you will come to this conclusion. When Armenians were exiled from their native lands and came to their respective nations, they only planned to stay there temporarily. Churches and committees were constructed to preserve the Armenian identity until it was possible to repatriate to Armenia. They were not created to encourage a perpetual Diaspora i.e. statelessness.

I am saying this for your own good as an Armenian.

Recognize the enormously destructive role religion in general has played in Armenian history.

I am not interested in what you have to say about religion because I am familiar with all the arguments and we have fought about this before. You talk about the 'greatness' of the human mind and capacity for achievement but our achievement as individuals is very limited, if not destructive. Technological innovations cannot give a person solice and peace; this has been shown over and over again. But I do not want to argue about this because it is a tired topic.

I don't contribute to much else because I just don't care about discussing crap for the sake of discussion with people on a forum. I read about what I do not know and I move on. I have no desire for a social dependence on forums and their members.

That's bullxxxx. You feel compelled to write about what interests you to 'help' others. Apparently the future of Armenia does not interest you and you have no opinion as to what will advance it.

Maybe you should also write another self-aggrandizing and egotistical book called "How to be the Best Possible Forum Member According to Yerazhishda." I'm sure everyone cares.

You pretend (that's right, 'pretend') to be an Armenian and denigrate the Armenian Apostolic Church. I am just calling you out for what you are for your own good.

[gmd]

Re: If you had to choose between Christianity and being Armenian.

As a Haiastanci born in Soviet Armenia I never understood what all the fuss is with the church. My mom made me go as a kid once we came to the U.S. but in Armenia the church had no meaning in my life and nothing has changed since.

[Armanen]

Re: If you had to choose between Christianity and being Armenian.

As a Hayastanci born in Soviet Armenia I DID & do understand the role that Christianity and our Church played in Armenia's history and I completely agree with Yerazishda.

[gmd]

Re: If you had to choose between Christianity and being Armenian.

As a Hayastanci born in Soviet Armenia I DID & do understand the role that Christianity and our Church played in Armenia's history and I completely agree with Yerazishda.

uremen aper dzer entanike partzyakan cheyn?

[Armanen]

Re: If you had to choose between Christianity and being Armenian.

Voch, byts im papika communister hamel havatumer Ustivatzin.

[Federate]

Re: If you had to choose between Christianity and being Armenian.

As a Haiastanci born in Soviet Armenia I never understood what all the fuss is with the church. My mom made me go as a kid once we came to the U.S. but in Armenia the church had no meaning in my life and nothing has changed since.

That's because the Republic of Armenia guarantees the fact that you will grow up Armenian but the diaspora will not. Therefore the necessity to go to church in Armenia is not as high. Pair that up with 70 years of Bolshevism and it explains your question.

The church in the diaspora has two functions: 1) As the house of God and all those religious stuff. 2) As a community center where you go to meet Armenians and remind yourself that you are Armenian.

In Armenia, the factor that makes people go to church is number 1 since number 2 is all around them.

Your mom probably wanted you to remain Armenian so she took you to church.

[Sip]

Re: If you had to choose between Christianity and being Armenian.

SoyElTurco, let me ask YOU a question:

If you had a choice of being a Muslim Armenian or a Christian Turk, which one would YOU be?

[Palavra]

Re: If you had to choose between Christianity and being Armenian.

Christian Turk? what is that.