http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=4686
19 May 2008, 11:21
Russian Church: the cult of reason is losing its power in present Western
world
Moscow, May 19, Interfax - The Moscow Patriarchate representative
expressed the opinion that the Western world face sweeping changes.
"The cult of reason is losing its power," said Archpriest Vsevolod
Chaplin, Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for
External Church Relations, speaking to the panel Christian Values of
European Civilization: a Look from the East to the West of the
international forum Europe-Russia held in Rome.
According to Fr. Vsevolod, Russia and Europe need to remember "the
two "lungs" of the European civilization: the Roman civilization
which has brought to life the Catholic and Protestant traditions, and
the Eastern, Orthodox, civilization, addressed by Pope John Paul II
and the Head of Euro Commission Durao Jose Manuel Barroso.
"Today, the most efficient economy is the economy of brains which are
inseparable from our souls. The Orthodox civilization still believes
that there are eternal laws given to us by God, other than just
general rules of community invented by people. The Islamic
civilization holds the same opinion," said Fr. Vsevolod.
He also noted that the debate about the way such rules invented by
people match up with the laws blessed by God, is "held in many places
all over the world".
"Such debates are held in Israel, in the Islamic world, and in the
Western countries. And this debate will continue. The idea that the
society by all means should develop up to progress, that human
freedom would always bring us all the best things in life, that the
reason is able to built the right society, and that a child would
definitely find his or her own place and he or she needs no
instructions - such ideas are no longer doubtless," concluded Fr.
Vsevolod his address.
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