www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Afghanistan's Christian History?

I recently read an article about the last priest to leave Afghanistan. He is an Italian and spoke of the horrors perpetrated by the diabolical Taliban.

He mentioned the region's religious history. Of course, he mentioned the Buddhists and the Hindus. We became well aware of that when the savages bombed priceless artwork and announced their ominous plans to publicly identify Hindus.

The reverend father also mentioned that "Nestorian" Christians (Assyrian Church of the East?) were in the area. Does any one know anything about this Christian presence in Afghanistan? Are any of their churches still standing? Have they been desecrated with minarets? How late was the Christian presence?

I knew that during the Russian Soviet presence, the Moscow Patriarchate had a small mission for the soldiers, but after they left, that mission was closed.
It's thought that christianity was brought by nestorians. Recently, the Chinese discovered ancient liturgical books and christian catekesis in the province of Zizhanhg that belonged to a Nestorian community. Certainly, these christian communities were destroyed after the Mongol invasions, and the conversion of the tatars to Islam meant the destruction of the christian religion in this territory.
Chrsitianity also existed among kurds, but the Assyrian Church of the East as well as the modern chaldeans claim to have a different identity. Today most of the kurds are muslim and the christian minority is catholic, but all of them from the latin rite.
In Afghanistan, the christian religion is totaly forbidden.

<<In Afghanistan, the christian religion is totaly forbidden.>>

Let's pray that that will soon change and that the lies of "submission" will be replaced by the Truth that free!!!

Those of us who pray with John Paul II will have to leave you alone in such prayers.

K.

Dear Kurt,

Yes, the Assyrians established churches throughout Afghanistan and the surrounding region that persisted until the fifteenth century.

The Assyrians were well culturally adapted to the peoples and even the religions of the area and this allowed for their survival.

As you know, the ancient Church of Mart Maryam in Baghdad was destroyed with a direct bomb hit from an American plane during the Kuwait war.

The Anglican missionaries in the area did nothing to try and pull the Assyrians away from their Churches. They educated their children etc., but took them all to their native Assyrian Churches for services.

For this reason, the Anglicans alone are highly thought of by Assyrian and Oriental Orthodox Christians there.

In Armenia, the Anglican missionary Henry Martyn who translated the scriptures into modern Armenian, was so esteemed that, when he died there, the Armenians buried him dressed in the vestments of an Armenian Orthodox Bishop!

Alex

What are you talking about? Do you honestly think that JP II would not in the end want Muslims to convert to Christianity, which is the Truth??

anastasios

I think an essential practice for those of us who colaborate with the Holy Father in his outstanding initiatives in ecumencial and interrelgious affairs is an appreciation of nuance and respect. It is always sad when such an appreciation is lacking, and certainly failure to have this appreciation is not helpful to the advancement of the Holy Father's initiatives.

The Holy Father has expressed his great joy that many members of the human family have been lead to virtue through natural reason and has public prayed for the furtherance of this.

The Holy Father has expressed his great joy at the sincere and deeply held belief of so many members of the human family, including the Muslim people, in their belief in the central religious truth -- the One, True, God.

The Holy Father has expressed his great joy that with the Muslim people, we also share an common religous patrimony as Children of Abraham, and from this patrimony, even with the diversity in which it is understood by Christians, Muslims and Jews, each has the source of great truths.

Thirdly, the Holy Father has prayed that all may come to know Jesus Christ.

From these three prayers one may conclude both respect for the Muslim people and an invitation for them to come to know Jesus in the Christian faith.

However, the Holy Father has certainly rejected the theory that the conclusion just outlined is a declaration that Islam may be described as "lies" -- a term which when unqualified (as in Dave's post and without objection in Dustin's) implies lacking in any truth, and suggests more than error but malicious error.

For me, I concur with the Holy Father. In our free society, Dave, and those who agree with him, are entitled to their opinion.

K.

Kurt,

Thank you for the clarification. I agree with what you are saying.

Dave, Islam is not a bunch of lies. Perhaps Mohammad was a liar (or lunatic) but that doesn't mean that all the descendents of him in the faith are liars, etc. or that Islam per say is "a lie"--it is 75% of the way there as far as truth goes--one God, salvation by him, etc.

In Christ,

anastasios

By the way I love the new format! Congradulations!

My question:

With regard to the Quran, I have heard that words such as: love, forgiveness, charity, kindness towards fellow human beings is at a premium in this book. Could someone enlighten me on this because I do hear words which describe tolerance, justice, rewards, fairness, punishment and the like is mentioned. In otherwords, does the Quran delve into Charity the same way the Holy Bible does?

In Christ,

JoeS

Dear Joe,

Yes, the Quran does indeed talk about all these important values.

Even "jihad" as discussed in the Quran really is about a spiritual struggle against evil.

The issue of the moral differences between Christianity and other faiths is a hefty one.

Let me just illustrate with this one example.

An interfaith conference involving Jews, Christians and Muslims discussed the Lord's Prayer and whether it can be prayed by non-Christian monotheists.

What I found truly interesting is that Muhammad himself (peace be upon him) disagreed with the idea of praying that "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

He felt that what is the point in praying if we are just going to submit to what God is going to do? (Interesting since "Islam" itself means "submission" i.e. to God).

The Jewish participants also felt uneasy about this line in the Lord's Prayer.

Also, Christ's teaching that we are to love one another, even as He loved us goes quite beyond what other faiths and their founders have taught.

But that is not to say that there are many charitable and loving Muslims whose lives of faith and prayer have led them to open their hearts to their families, friends and communities.

The Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen once remarked on the Muslims' veneration for the Virgin Mary. He believed that She would eventually teach them about the true identity of Her Son.

May the Most Holy Mother of God pray for us all!

Alex

posted 11-22-2001 09:37 AM ��� �� �� �� � � ��
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Dear Joe,
Yes, the Quran does indeed talk about all these important values.

Even "jihad" as discussed in the Quran really is about a spiritual
struggle against evil.

The issue of the moral differences between Christianity and other faiths
is a hefty one.

Let me just illustrate with this one example.

An interfaith conference involving Jews, Christians and Muslims
discussed the Lord's Prayer and whether it can be prayed by
non-Christian monotheists.

What I found truly interesting is that Muhammad himself (peace be upon
him) disagreed with the idea of praying that "Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven."

He felt that what is the point in praying if we are just going to submit
to what God is going to do? (Interesting since "Islam" itself means
"submission" i.e. to God).

The Jewish participants also felt uneasy about this line in the Lord's
Prayer.

Also, Christ's teaching that we are to love one another, even as He
<<The Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen once remarked on the Muslims' veneration for the Virgin Mary.>>

It is interesting that Our Lord chose a place called "F�tima" to send His Mother. And don't forget! Good Saint Joesph went there as well.

Has the Church declared Archbp Sheen a "venerable"? If so, that is wonderful news!!!

Dear Dave,

Yes, indeed, the Church has declared Sheen "Venerable!"

Check out: http://www.americansaints/homestead.com/

Like you, and so many others, I honour him highly!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Alex

[ 11-22-2001: Message edited by: Orthodox Catholic ]

Alex,

I'm afraid that your link doesn't work.

However, I am thrilled to hear about Ven. Fulton Sheen! Soon "Fulton" will be a Saint's name!

I remember hearing him preach at St. Agnes.
Whenever I pop into St. Patrick's, I offer a prayer near his resting place.

It was Archbp. Sheen's sermons that introduced my young mind to Dostoyevski and Soloviev. Eventually, I made my way to St. Michael's Russian Chapel, where I now pray each Sunday.

I am unabashedly chauvinistic about New York. Now, I will be insufferable! Bishop Sheen! Dorothy Day! Father Mychal Judge! Rafael of B'klyn! Mother Seton! Pierre Toussant! We cetainly have a great "cloud of witnesses" over us! We are the Fourth Rome!

Did ya know that the WTC was within St Peter's Parish, the oldest in the US? Mother Seton & Pierre Toussant attended daily Mass there. t was there where I first ran to after I escaped the Trade Center. When Satan inspires evil acts, he checks all the details.

Dear Dave,

Silly me - see, Edwin, I apply that word to myself, quite frequently as a matter of fact . . .

The site is: http://www.americansaints.homestead.com/

No side-slash before "homestead."

I just recently received some info about Pierre Toussaint.

Our Catherine Doherty knew your Dorothy Day and received great encouragement from her.

There is also a Ukrainian Orthodox New Martyr who is considered an Orthodox patron of New York City, St Alexander Hotovitsky from Volyn in Ukraine.

He was a missionary priest to New York City when he happened to return home at the wrong time where he was martyred by the Bolsheviks (quite brutally). The Orthodox Saint and New Martyr John Kochurov is the patron for Chicago.

St Philaret the Metropolitan of New York City was glorified a saint by an Old Calendarist jurisdiction and Serge tells me it is a matter of time before ROCOR will formally canonize him as well.

St Patrick's Church is beautiful with the Saints of New York on the front doors, including Blessed Kateri and St Isaac Jogues.

Fr. Joseph Chaumonot, a contemporary of Jogues' and a companion missionary in Huronia, is now a "Servant of God" as his process has begun as well.

Another companion of Jogues', Fr. Joseph Bressani who suffered under the Iroquois, but did not die from his wounds, dying instead later in Italy, also now has a "Bressani Day" at the Martyrs' Shrine and his cause will be eventually introduced as well.

I once saw a listing of about 125 U.S. Martyrs, including the Korean War chaplain, Fr. Kapaun, whose cause has been introduced in Rome. Do you have any information about them?

I hope that your Franciscan Fire Chaplain who died at the WTC has a cause introduced for him as a saint.

You should start a petition to have a special Feast of all the Saints of New York City!

God bless,

Alex

And please don't forget my own saint who worked here in Kansas and Missouri, St. Philippine Rose Duchesne...called by the Pottawatomie here in Kansas "She Who Prays Always". Kansas also has the honor of the proto-martyr of the USA, Servant of God, Fray Juan de Padilla. He was a Franciscan who accompanied Coronado on his journeys in the Great Plains. Here in Kansas the good friar did some missionary work among one of the local Indian tribes and asked Coronado to leave him behind when they moved on. He stayed with a couple of Mexican Indian lay brothers. He was supposed to have been making some converts when he mentioned that he wanted to visit another neighboring tribe to preach to them as well. The people he was with didn't like that and put him to death. There is a huge mural of him inside the Kansas Capital building and also a memorial in rural Lyon County, Kansas.

Don