Having entered the Christmas season, we ask those who find the work of the Mystagogy Resource Center beneficial to them to help us continue our work with a generous financial gift as you are able. As an incentive, we are offering the following booklet.

In 1909 the German philosopher Arthur Drews wrote a book called "The Myth of Christ", which New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman has called "arguably the most influential mythicist book ever produced," arguing that Jesus Christ never existed and was simply a myth influenced by more ancient myths. The reason this book was so influential was because Vladimir Lenin read it and was convinced that Jesus never existed, thus justifying his actions in promoting atheism and suppressing the Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union. Moreover, the ideologues of the Third Reich would go on to implement the views of Drews to create a new "Aryan religion," viewing Jesus as an Aryan figure fighting against Jewish materialism. 

Due to the tremendous influence of this book in his time, George Florovsky viewed the arguments presented therein as very weak and easily refutable, which led him to write a refutation of this text which was published in Russian by the YMCA Press in Paris in 1929. This apologetic brochure titled "Did Christ Live? Historical Evidence of Christ" was one of the first texts of his published to promote his Neopatristic Synthesis, bringing the patristic heritage to modern historical and cultural conditions. With the revival of these views among some in our time, this text is as relevant today as it was when it was written. 

Never before published in English, it is now available for anyone who donates at least $20 to the Mystagogy Resource Center upon request (please specify in your donation that you want the book). Thank you.



September 2, 2009

Monk to Teach Morality Through Online Game


[I don't know the details of what the exact message of this game is, but from the description below it seems that it is meant to teach moralism rather than Orthodoxy. The ideology that doing good rewards and doing bad brings suffering does not correspond to reality or Orthodoxy. In fact, doing good more often brings suffering than doing bad, and suffering for the good is one thing we are called to do as Christians. What could be further misleading is that morality saves. The prophetic, apostolic and patristic message is not that humanity is divided between the moral and the immoral, or that humanity is divided between the good and the bad, or that humanity is divided between the virtuous and the wicked. The message of the of the Lord is that: "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." There is no division; we are all immoral, bad and wicked. It's only a question of degree, or kind, or manifestation and the response we have to our condition. Whatever somebody's external degree of morality might be, we still all are condemned sinners headed to hell apart from Christ and His Church. It is the imitation of Christ and the Saints and the sanctification of the body and soul in Christ which saves. Therefore, if the game description below is accurate then it is my hope that it does not pass to be an Orthodox Christian game. But I will give it the benefit of the doubt till I find out more. - J.S.]

Monk-missionary Invents Online Game to Attract Youth to Churches

Moscow, Russia
September 1, 2009
Interfax

Chancery of the Moscow Patriarchate received a proposal to create a computer program for studying Orthodoxy in form of a simulator game, the Infox.ru website has reported.

The project’s author Father Maxim is convinced the new online project is necessary, as it will help youth to learn more about the Church in exciting form of a computer game. According to the project, a user creates his personage, chooses his s ex, age and appearance. Then the personage develops from level to level as his secular life is based on commandments and he is rewarded if he behaves well and suffers hardships for his unrighteous actions.

A player can also choose to develop in a church sphere: women can become sisters of mercy, nuns or mothers superiors in nunneries, while men can be seminarians, priests and bishops.

“Anyway, young people spend their time in virtual world, and it’ll be better if they spiritually develop instead of “shooting and killing,” Fr. Maxim believes.
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