Posted on 08/17/2016 5:58:08 PM PDT by marshmallow
Moscow, August 16, Interfax - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has made Saint Michael the Archangel the patron saint of the Russian Investigative Committee at the initiative of the committee's head Alexander Bastrykin, Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told Interfax on Tuesday.
"His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia blessed and made the Saint Archistratigus Michael the patron saint of the agency at the initiative of Russian Investigative Committee Chairman Bastrykin, as well as in order to strengthen the spiritual and moral foundations of the Russian Investigative Committee's staff," Markin said.
St. Michael the Archangel was chosen as the patron saint of the Russian Investigative Committee because in the Holy Scripture he is portrayed as the main fighter against all sorts of illegality among people, and in the Book of Revelation Archangel Michael acts as the warrior of Light and the chief leader in the war against the Devil and the dark forces, he said.
"In Orthodox iconography Archangel Michael is depicted as piercing the Devil with a spear and as trampling with a foot upon a rich old man [as a symbol of the fight against bribery and other corruption-linked crimes]. Archangel Michael is also often depicted as holding the scales where one scale is heavier than the other, which helps the guard of the Gates of Eden to discern between a righteous man and a sinner, thus allowing us to draw parallels with criminal proceedings, which is the main task of the Investigative Committee," Markin said.
The first ceremony to hand over an Archangel Michael icon is expected to be held at the St. Petersburg Academy of the Russian Investigative Committee on September 1, 2016, when the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the academy will take place, he said.
A draft agreement between the Investigative Committee and the Russian Orthodox Church is currently being draw up at Bastrykin's instruction and with the involvement of the Moscow Patriarchate's Synodal Department for Relations with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies, Markin said.
"The subject of this agreement is the sides' cooperation aimed at resurrecting and strengthening spirituality based on traditional moral values, which is a crucial factor of Russian society's wellbeing and security; the use of the spiritual potential that Orthodoxy has to protect cultural, spiritual and moral heritage and historical traditions, as well as to enhance stability in social life, overcome the threat of the people's spiritual degradation and reduce crime rates in the country; the crackdown on negative phenomena such as terrorism, extremism, corruption, immorality, as well as other negative tendencies stemming from the false understanding of freedom and human rights," Markin said.
It is no less important that Archangel Michael is present in the majority of Russia's traditional religions (Orthodoxy, Islam and Judaism) and is mentioned in the Old and New Testament, as well as in the Quran. This circumstance will help ensure the worshipping of this patron saint in the Investigative Committee's departments in Russia's North Caucasus Federal District as well, Markin said.
Similar initiatives were earlier successfully put into practice in other security and law enforcement services of the country, he said.
The Book of Revelation has them offering the prayers of the faithful to God.
It's the fallen angels (demons) who encourage idolatry.
St. Michael the Archangel is also the patron saint of those in law enforcement. With those wearing the badge as police under attack in this country, St. Michael should invoked all the more.
‘It is too easy to make even good things into idols. Hence the warning from John.’
If you haven’t seen this, you need to. Whoever edited the Catholic bible redacted one of the Ten Commandments. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t believe me. When I first read it, I couldn’t believe it myself. But it’s true—horrifyingly true. It explains so much...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3460142/posts?page=40#40
1. I’m apparently unfamiar with anyone in scripture *praying to an angel* - please post those verses here so we can discuss.
2. Idolatry comes from your heart, when you put something in the place of God and not from the thing you idolized.
In other words, don’t blame Michael! He has no control over someone’s choice to make him into an idol, whether putting him in God’s place by prayer or by manufacturing medals to wear, etc. This stems from the fallen heart of man, pursuing pagan religion.
This is why the apostle John, at the end of his life warned believers against idolatry.
Best
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Oh here, I'll do it for you, dear aMPU, you will see over a hundred examples of human persons and angelic persons talking / conversing / interacting with each other (i.e. PRAYING together.)
You are correct on you "idolatry" point if you run into people who want to adore angels as if they were gods, or rivals to God, or as if they were giving to them the absolutely supreme honors which should go to God alone.
However, ordinary talking / conversing / interacting with each other (i.e. PRAYING together) is not adoration. If a person tried that with St. Michael the Archangel, be assured he would put a stop to it.
The difficulty in this sort of didcussion between you and me, is that you tend to assume that "praying" means "adoration." It does not.
These are not synonyms.
Talking in the presence of an angel is quite different than praying to an angel. Do you have scripture for the latter?
“If a person tried that with St. Michael the Archangel, be assured he would put a stop to it.”
Not his job to correct sins like this unless he is present and not correcting it would be considered accepting false worship.
As an example, multiple times in Scripture, Angels correct humans who fall down before them. They are told to rise.
Making graven images is idolatry. Bowing down before them is idolatry. Praying to them puts them in God’s place.
“Little children, keep yourself from idols.”
Apostle John
Oh, OK.
So we're allowed to chat about the weather and the football results but I'm not allowed to ask him for a favor.
What are angels and what roles do they play in Scripture? One role, on which we can both agree (I think), is that they are messengers, right? They are sent by God with a message for one or more persons. See the angel Gabriel's message to Mary, for instance, or the angel which descended from heaven and sat upon Jesus' tombstone after the Resurrection and told Mary Magdalen and the other women that He was risen.
So if an angel can be sent by God to us, with a message, why can the reverse not happen? Why can we not send the angel to God with a message or request, from us?
Coz that's what we do when we pray!
“Never been to Russia, I see.”
I have. Twice in fact. Have you?
The angels are God’s servants. He commands them, and they obey. Nowhere in the Bible are we encouraged to co-opt God’s servants for our purposes. When Jesus taught us to pray, He taught us to pray directly to God. Nowhere are we instructed to utilize God’s servants as our messenger service.
Did you try to open a Christian church, there?
They are also God's messengers. Messengers between God and man. We're not "co-opting God's servants" since sometimes they bring a message which requires an answer. See for instance, the angel Gabriel's message to Mary to which she gave the answer.."be it done unto me according to thy word....".
That answer was conveyed by the angel to God.
You think God's going to be ticked if we see the angels as our friends? You think he'll be jealous of his angels if they bring our sufferings, requests and praise before him?
Quite the contrary. See Revelation 8:
And another angel came, and stood before the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of God. And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel.
Yes, I believe God will be fundamentally displeased. The disciples asked Jesus Himself to teach us to pray. Jesus did so—and taught us to pray directly to God. If we spurn His instruction and pray in a manner contrary to what Christ taught, why should God be pleased?
The prayers of the saints, if offered according to Christ’s instruction, were offered to God. Prayers offered to God are very pleasing to Him.
Yet as Revelation makes clear...."the prayers of the saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel"
What does that mean?
It means that we have our own angels who bring our prayers before God;
"See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." Matt:18:10
The real problem here is the reductionist approach to Scripture and a reading of it divorced from the Church. Jesus teaching the disciples a prayer to the Father is understood to mean that all other forms of prayer are excluded and prohibited. Since Jesus, on that occasion didn't mention angels, they're out!
Church history over the intervening two millenia is full of examples of angels appearing to those in need, as a result of prayer.
“So if an angel can be sent by God to us, with a message, why can the reverse not happen?”
You are not God, as it turns out.
“Why can we not send the angel to God with a message or request, from us?”
Angels are messengers of God. They are not your messengers.
“So we’re allowed to chat about the weather and the football results but I’m not allowed to ask him for a favor.”
The next time an angel appears to you, you may want to listen to the message he brings, before you chat about sports or ask to borrow money.
:-)
Since you are making much of the literal interpretation of a passage of Revelation, here’s another passage for you:
12 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2 and she was with child; and she *cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
So you see, Mary suffered pain in childbirth; the Scripture says so.
As for prayer, no one can teach us to pray with more wisdom or authority than Jesus. He is God. So when He teaches us to pray, we cannot improve on His example. It is arrogant and presumptuous to imagine otherwise.
Why yes they are!
And another angel came, and stood before the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of God. [4] And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel.
Revelation 8: 3-4
Horsefeathers.
You're creating an artificial distinction. The word "pray" is an archaic word meaning "to ask". (That's why you can "pray" to a judge for relief in court.)
In some languages, like German, the words for "pray" and "ask" are identical.
I don't think so. I suggest you check Greek, context of each passage, systematic theology, etc.
Also, since Mrs-Don-o is busy, will you please post the verses that command, demonstrate or illustrate humans praying to angels?
I realize you're busy too, so if you could just post a handful, I'd appreciate it.
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