The Building of the new Church on St Maron's tomb in Syria

[johnnyFPM]

Originally Posted by Placebo

exactly.

and moreover at the end of the show Shirley said the results of the poll OTV was making concerning GMA visit to Syria. apparently 98 % of the people are with the visit. I DIDNT like this at all, it reminded me of the 99% of totalitarian regimes. and it only proved that there was only FPMers watching the show. (and oh, even FPMers on this forum dissagreed concerning the visit).

Yeah that poll was better kept silent, it's ridiculous numbers (altho im sure they are 100% true)...

Bravo Shirley el Murr and OTV for building that church!

As for the whole secular / oriental / occidental debate, I prefer to keep it in another thread!

[libertine]

In order to establish a secular nation, the first thing to do is to ensure "sectarian balance". In other words, when rival sects have equal rights, the fear factor will stop mobilizing the different sects against each other for political reasons. So what the GMA is doing does not contradict his secular beliefs. I guess he's on the right track, I highly respect his spiritual side.

[WoofWoofX]

Originally Posted by Fakhr eddine 1618

But FPM is becoming a Chirstian Oriental Symbol

It was supposed to be a secular occidental oriented movement

Fakhr I like it when you play the devil's advocate...

Now let me have an apostolic view on this and answer your question...since following a deeper faith oriented vision you will find yourself as a christian obliged to go and spread Jesus's teaching and his word and you need to be a person where people have to see Jesus in all what you do and say (and I am not talking nonsens here)

So following the above GMA and Hopefully some enlightened fpmers and I mean it... since not all fpmers understand or gasp the vision that GMA has...So following the actions and events done by GMA and FPM and compared to the "irchad elrasouleh" You have to be a true believer and own a good ammount of faith to start being secular... because without the faith and love you will not be able to understand nor accept the other...

So Let's be true christians, true muslims first...in order reach secularism...

As I would say it you can not be a Man/Woman if you are not human being first....

//WoofWoofX

[Ignatius]

Guys, when you talk about christians being also wecular, please remember that the christian orthodoxe community (not church...community, it's different) has always been quite secular (baath, communism, syrian nationalisme, etc.) without stopping being christian. This is one of the dilemmas of christianity in the middle east.
I'm not sure we can assess FPM right now : maybe in a couple of years, once it will have finished its change, its transfiguartion if I would dare say :-)

[Youchka]

I would like to remind everyone including Fakher that there are hundreds of threads debating FPM secular and sectarian criteria and characteristics. leave this thread for its greatness, the greatness of having a popular spontaneous surge for the sake of doing something good, something grand.

[sarhay]

Originally Posted by Ignatius

Guys, when you talk about christians being also wecular, please remember that the christian orthodoxe community (not church...community, it's different) has always been quite secular (baath, communism, syrian nationalisme, etc.) without stopping being christian. This is one of the dilemmas of christianity in the middle east.
I'm not sure we can assess FPM right now : maybe in a couple of years, once it will have finished its change, its transfiguartion if I would dare say :-)

Ignatius, Christianity at its core does not have the characteristics to be a state religion. We always have The priests and the parishners, same like the way the Jews had it back then!! The dilemma of Christianity started when its followers start to be more "earthy" oriented than "heavenly" hopeful.
As for FPM being "transfigured", as an Christian, such terms should not be used to reflect on the development of nontheological matter. Let us keep the separation as it is and hope that FPm will develop to a turning factor in the leabnese political arena.

[hannaalwassati]

so how did the results of the program ended
do we consider that most of the building costs have been donated.
now the big question
can we by pass bkerki and build it. we need its permission and approval also its approval to also concescrate it as a church.
that is where the fine details will be used to derail the project or slow it down, just wait and see.
i beleive that batrk having nothing else to lose , will fight a rear guard war of attrition against us and just delay the whole project. i hope i am wrong.

[Ignatius]

Originally Posted by sarhay

Ignatius, Christianity at its core does not have the characteristics to be a state religion. We always have The priests and the parishners, same like the way the Jews had it back then!! The dilemma of Christianity started when its followers start to be more "earthy" oriented than "heavenly" hopeful.
As for FPM being "transfigured", as an Christian, such terms should not be used to reflect on the development of nontheological matter. Let us keep the separation as it is and hope that FPm will develop to a turning factor in the leabnese political arena.

Dear Sarhay, I totally agree with what you said
Using the word "community" (ta'ifa) by opposition to "Chucrh" (kanissa) meant exactly what you said
Using the word "transfiguration" was a bad joke, I have to admit it :-)

[sanfour]

Walid Jumblatt will offer the bells for the church, he has plenty.

[shadow1]

Have historians established beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's St Maroun Burial place? I hate to think we are rushing to build a church and it turns out some Roum monk was buried there. he'll get all the prayers from us for free while our own patron saint has to rely on a long winded process to get our prayers.