Idolatry is the worship of wooden, stone, and metal idols, to which faith is attributed and considered superior divine powers…
…Idolatry, from the perspective of Christian doctrine, is the worst consequence of the fall of humankind. It is the main expression of man’s apostasy from God. Man, darkened by his continuous falls, has forgotten the true God and gradually replaced Him with idols.
…The worship of idols, whether visible or invisible, tangible or intangible, is nothing more than a desperate attempt to appease external forces and threats, while simultaneously an attempt to fulfill the practical purposes of life.
The above are not explained by an atheist, but are written on a religious website titled “Orthodox Horizons.”
How relevant are these theories to the journey of the holy belt, which traveled first class on the airplane and was received with honors by a minister of a secular state? Who happens to be a theologian and possibly, otherwise, denounces idol worship.
It is human in our difficult times to seek hope everywhere: in science, in religion, in magicians, and in gods. However, what difference does it make to worship a belt and deposit hope in it, even for the resolution of the Cyprus issue, compared to the worship of Indians in totems?
The only difference perhaps is that when the Indians performed their rituals with the Sacred Pipe – which is considered a bridge between earth and sky, visible and invisible, natural and spiritual – they did not charge the faithful.
The priests of Orthodoxy do not tour the holy belt that traveled from Mount Athos for free. For someone to worship it, although not mandatory but implied, they must deposit their offering.
Even a candle to light in the church (I don’t know if it happens in all or just in my parish) has a fee: a minimum amount of one euro for a candle.
The Archbishop, they say, does not agree with the tours of various objects related to saints. However, he does not prevent their arrival, so the bishops can occasionally gather the faithful around an idol.
Which, of course, is not named as such, but as a sacred object.
In practice, however, the faithful worship, pray and place their hopes in an object that will function as a bridge to the divine, just like the Sacred Pipe.
And as a business. It is sometimes interesting to learn what the tour of a sacred object yields (financially).
