www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News British Navy approves first ever Satanist

O, eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm doth bind the restless wave,
Who bids the mighty ocean deep,
Its own appointed limits keep,
O, hear us when we call to thee,
For those in peril on the sea!


[inscribed on the base of The Naval Memorial, Washington, D.C.]

Hi,

Not actually.

This flavor of so-called "Satanism" does not subscribe to any specific supernatural belief. It is not a theology, but rather a moral system explicitly and deliberately opposed to the Christian moral system.

I'd call it "Grumpy Atheism", more than "Satanism". Their "Satan" is more a projection and idealization of their "self", more than a distinct spiritual being.

I'd not be too worried, I think the "evil one" would find all this silliness rather insulting, so I don't suppose he lends much of an ear to their "rituals".

But yeah, I do hope his shipmates do a lot of praying, for this obviously troubled individual and for themselves. Maybe some of these prayers will help them review their decision to serve an institution that condones this absurdity.

Shalom,
Memo.

Dear Andrew,

Well, I must confess that your views on what seemed to me to be "consubstantiation" tended to inspire a similar reaction toward you.

But I always felt guilty about that . . .

Less so, now, since I now know you can swim . . .

Alex

There are 3 more verses that I know of to that. It's commonly called the "Naval Hymn" and is set to the tune "Melita" by John B. Dykes. The hymnals list it as "Eternal Father, Strong to Save." I usually pull it out and play it as a postlude on Sundays that fall on or near patriotic holidays. Several ex-navy people have come up to the organ loft to say "thanks," afterwards.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

There is also a Marine Verse to the Navy Hymn:

Eternal Father, grant , we pray,
To all Marines, both night and day,
The courage, honor, strength and skill
Their land to serve, Thy law fulfill;
Be Thou the Shield forevermore
From ev'ry peril to the Corps.

Amen.

Deacon El

Dear Father Deacon Pekarik,

How appropriate that you should respond to this issue here!

I know you would be someone to counsel such a person who should be told to "go to El . . ."

Alex

Dear Neil,

I am quite old, but have a fantastic long memory, and an atrocious short one. (Can't even remember what I ate). Undoubtably it was something I read, not heard, and it was about fifteen to twenty years ago. Now to expect me to remember the names and authors of the thousands upon thousands of books that I have read, would be too much. I do remember though, anything that would make an impression on me. The hurricane and a satanic parade, did just that.

I know that whatever book it was, it is not in my reference library, (I eventually discard paperbacks), so you'll just have to take my word for it. Of course the author could have been wrong, but I prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt.

If you study the era though, you will find that the occult was quite prevalent, especially seances...and especially in Europe at the end of the 19th century, and the beginning of the 20th century. Something that always made me wonder if these occultic practices, had anything to do with the ensuing massacres of young men, (twenty thousand a day), which we call today the First World War.

Actually I have quite an interest in the relationship of historical disasters and the practice of the occult. I do wish someone would make a study of it.

Zenovia

Dear Neil,

As for Hitler and the Nazi party, in THE NAZIS AND THE OCCULT by Sklar, a respected German historian, Konrad Heiden, is quoted as saying:

"...the best of them found refuge from the despair of their daily life in a perverse fanaticism...called 'the mysticism of a political movement.'

Germany was the perfect place for this development. In almost no other country were so many "miracles" performed, so many ghosts conjured, so many illnesses cured by magnetism, so many horoscopes read, between the two World Wars. "

Zenovia

Hello everyone,
I'm back.
I heard a story that said that Karl Marx was a Satanist. Is this True?

Dear Lauro,

Don't know, but those who believe his writings have often been on the "horns of a dilemma . . ."

How are our "Brazilian Fathers" these days?

Alex

Dear Zenovia,

That is quite true!

In fact, the Nazis introduced many pagan rituals, even though they wore the cross (which for many of them had no connection to Christianity).

The Orthodox Church under the Soviets always held that the communist emblems were classical Satanic symbols (ie. the red pentagram).

In addition, today there are a number of Orthodox martyrs killed by satanic cultists, including Fr. Nestor Sawchuk and some Fathers of Valaam (?).

Recently, two satanic altars were found on the hills of Kyiv overlooking the city and the UOC-MP had photos of them on their website.

Alex

Dear Alex,
Our Brazilian Basilians are doing fine I guess as always. There seems to be something in the air though. Don't know what it is, but somethings cooking. I hope it's for the better.
Lauro

Well, it's just a matter of time until the 'Jedi Knights' apply for recognition. At the time of our last 10 yearly census the Govt had to threaten the populace with the threat of prosecution as they were afraid they were going to be deluged with 'Jedi Knight' in the religion question!

Lauro ,

Wonderful to see you back - I thought you had vanished into the ether

Those words "For those in peril on the sea" kept going through my head on the afternoon of July 3 1991. That day, a friend and me got caught in a severe thunderstorm on Lake Michigan. We were in a 19 foot boat when we got hit by high waves, powerful winds and a torrential downpour. AS we made our way back to Burnham Harbour, I kept thinking of that hymn along with the 27th chapter of the Book of Acts.