Eastern churches
Big shots at creepy New World Orderish Swiss conference make retreats... on Mount Athos?
I’m still thinking about this one. Many of the mountain’s monks seem (never been), like many others in that church scene, quite Catholic (admirably fervent and observant) but at the same time quite mad, having kittens if the Patriarch of Constantinople (‘Modernist ecumenist heretic!’ Evil ‘world Orthodox’!) is in the same room as the Pope to give an example among many smaller ones — they think most other Orthodox aren’t up to snuff and even have rebaptized them which would make them Donatist heretics even by their churches’ standards. (An acquaintance of admirable churchmanship says that all such Catholic groups thinking they’re the only one might be a sign of a divine sense of humour.) But Fidel Castro as a guest on Athos is OK? (Of course all are sinners and all are welcome to come and pray in a Catholic church.)

Said years ago after being interviewed by a company that did that sort of thing that perhaps it’s best not to work for businesses that presume to conduct ‘retreats’. Reminds me of the ‘Simpsons’ episode where Burns tried to be the nuclear power-plant workers’ God until his costume melted off.

On the bright side giving some big cheeses a stiff dose of unbowdlerized Catholic religion sounds like it can’t be a bad thing if that in fact is what’s going on.

And it seems none of the ‘God told me to invade Iraq’ people goes there. Then again Mr Bush’s churchy supporters tend to think the Athonites aren’t Christians (’cos they don’t follow the Bahble* and are ‘worshipping’ bread, paintings and Mary...).

*Which, since sola scriptura isn’t scriptural, really means the fathers on Athos don’t follow Pastor Billy Joe Bob.