2004-106 from a poor monk:
Continuing on the background for today's lack of prayer...

If most of our last installment seemed to pertain to the west only, it would be good to notice the troubles being encountered in the east by the christian religion in particular. Many of the factors found in the west were also characteristic of the east but in somewhat different ways.

We can begin only with a cursory look at what Islam meant for the christian world, especially North Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans, where christians gave up their faith by the millions. (Again, this is not to be judgmental, but simply to notice a fact of relevance.) As far as Russia and the general Slavic world are concerned, the words of Frs Schmemann and Meyendorff come to mind, to the effect that if Holy Russia were so holy, why did it succumb to communism with such a devastating breakdown of faith and practice? To this must be added also, the "westernization" begun by Peter the Great and continued by those who came after him and the other succeeding forces of ongoing secularization even before the communists came to power.

To all this we must add the power of scientific accomplishments to reinforce the idea that there must not in fact be any God, or at least none like christianity would have us think.

All these factors, which, unfortunately, we are not able to pursue in greater detail in these meditations, are the general background to what exists today in the world in general. Today also, there is that very popular "turn toward the east" -meaning the far east- and the subsequent importation of all kinds of ideas from far eastern religions along with the correct as well as incorrect understanding of these.

More next time...best to all.