Comments on: ‘Holy’ hooligans come to blows http://freethinker.co.uk/2008/04/21/%e2%80%98holy%e2%80%99-hooligans-come-to-blows/ The voice of atheism since 1881 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:29:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: GW http://freethinker.co.uk/2008/04/21/%e2%80%98holy%e2%80%99-hooligans-come-to-blows/comment-page-1/#comment-4357 GW Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:37:52 +0000 http://www.freethinker.co.uk/?p=699#comment-4357 http://video.news.sky.com/skynews/video/?&videoSourceID=1313634&flashURL=/feeds/skynews/latest/flash/priest_220408_1524.flv Watch the video^^^^^^^^^^^^ http://video.news.sky.com/skyn.....8_1524.flv

Watch the video^^^^^^^^^^^^

]]> By: Stuart H. http://freethinker.co.uk/2008/04/21/%e2%80%98holy%e2%80%99-hooligans-come-to-blows/comment-page-1/#comment-4352 Stuart H. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:32:52 +0000 http://www.freethinker.co.uk/?p=699#comment-4352 Didn't Howard Jacobson cover this church once in a TV thing about various silly or obnoxious bods who don't talk to each other in Israel? Also look out in the press around Xmas every year when some bishop or other inevitably points up the 'positive example' of various Christian traditions sharing this church, while taking a pop at Israel's failure to talk to the Palestinians. Didn’t Howard Jacobson cover this church once in a TV thing about various silly or obnoxious bods who don’t talk to each other in Israel?
Also look out in the press around Xmas every year when some bishop or other inevitably points up the ‘positive example’ of various Christian traditions sharing this church, while taking a pop at Israel’s failure to talk to the Palestinians.

]]> By: The Heresiarch http://freethinker.co.uk/2008/04/21/%e2%80%98holy%e2%80%99-hooligans-come-to-blows/comment-page-1/#comment-4338 The Heresiarch Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:20:28 +0000 http://www.freethinker.co.uk/?p=699#comment-4338 A particular point of contention in recent years has been the "Holy Fire" ceremony, a strange ritual in which the Greek patriarch disappears into a cupboard and emerges a few minutes later holding a flame which has been "miraculously" lit by the Holy Spirit. Or possibly by the Ancient Apostolic Zippo. Traditionally, his Armenian counterpart has accompanied him (presumably to make sure he's not cheating) but a few years ago the new Greek bishop announced that he was going to do the ceremony alone from now on. The Armenians were, as can be imagined, not best pleased. They've been brawling on and off ever since. As I think the good book says, "See how these Christians love one another". A particular point of contention in recent years has been the “Holy Fire” ceremony, a strange ritual in which the Greek patriarch disappears into a cupboard and emerges a few minutes later holding a flame which has been “miraculously” lit by the Holy Spirit. Or possibly by the Ancient Apostolic Zippo. Traditionally, his Armenian counterpart has accompanied him (presumably to make sure he’s not cheating) but a few years ago the new Greek bishop announced that he was going to do the ceremony alone from now on. The Armenians were, as can be imagined, not best pleased. They’ve been brawling on and off ever since.

As I think the good book says, “See how these Christians love one another”.

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