At church today....

[Bereta_Eder]

Υπέρ του ευσεβούς ημών Έθνους, πάσης Αρχής και Εξουσίας εν αυτώ, του κατά ξηράν θάλασσαν και αέρα φιλοχρίστου ημών στρατού, του Κυρίου δεηθώμεν.


In favor of our respectful nation, all authority and power that rests in it, in favor of by land, sea, air useful army of it, we call upon the Lord

[C0ckney]

We don't get that kind of thing in Church of England churches (from what I hear, it's not like I ever attend), but Remembrance Day seems to have become co-opted by people practically celebrating war instead of being the extremely solemn occasion it used to be. Pictures of kids holding giant poppies wearing t-shirts saying 'Future soldier' made me want to throw up in my own mouth. You want to remind people of sacrifice, take them around a veterans hospital and let them see what really happens when you pack your kids off to fight in a war.

you have to keep those patriotic myths pumped up to maintain that ersatz solidarity so that people will continue to support costly adventures in foreign lands.

[Bereta_Eder]

The church has its claws so deep inside the system, it is even able to block cremation process.
So anyone who wants to do that, goes to bulgaria.
Actually everyone goes to bulgaria.
You want cremation? bulgaria
you want cheap taxes for your enterprise? bulgaria
you want cheap winter holidays vacations? bulgaria
you want cheap products/goods? take a trip to bulgaria

you want to live like a king with your pension? bulgaria

B-u-l-g-a-r-i-a

[giblets]

The cost of living is so low in former Communist countries

[Bereta_Eder]

If the ****ing troika wasn't there, the corprorate tax would be low.
Besides, I'm actually in favor of that.
There are whole towns in winter resorts that have greek isncriptions etc
the money that flows to bulgaria is good

everyone wins.

and if you want to compete you certantly don't compete with lowering wages

[Elok]

Υπέρ του ευσεβούς ημών Έθνους, πάσης Αρχής και Εξουσίας εν αυτώ, του κατά ξηράν θάλασσαν και αέρα φιλοχρίστου ημών στρατού, του Κυρίου δεηθώμεν.


In favor of our respectful nation, all authority and power that rests in it, in favor of by land, sea, air useful army of it, we call upon the Lord

Well, that's a horrid translation, but yes. However, over the course of the Great Ektenia the priest/deacon winds up praying for essentially every person who lives or has ever lived in the country by category, so I don't think that counts as proof of militarism. I don't doubt that the Church in Greece is far too entangled with the State, to the detriment of both.

[Bereta_Eder]

to do a good translation you need time a commodity i dont have.

philochristo can barely be described as plain useful I agree but TIME

[Bereta_Eder]

basically it means we are frendly towards it due to its usefulness (not because we love it for its essense. aka the army)

[Bereta_Eder]

christiko=one that has a use

phillo=friend

[Elok]

Sorry, didn't mean to be harsh towards your efforts; I thought you'd Google translated. I barely speak a word of Greek. Can't recall exactly how it's usually phrased in English, and don't have time to look it up just now.

[Elok]

Something like "for our President, for all civil authorities, for our armed forces in defense of peace and freedom everywhere, let us pray to the Lord." Which is a rather free translation itself, I'm sure.

[Bereta_Eder]

I don't doubt that the Church in Greece is far too entangled with the State, to the detriment of both.

THE CONSTITUTION OF GREECE

In the name of the Holy and Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity

THE FIFTH REVISIONARY PARLIAMENT OF THE HELLENES RESOLVES

http://www.hri.org/docs/syntagma/

[Bereta_Eder]

To be a bit more analytical, your phrase only need to change "freedom" for invasion and toppling govs and "peace" with "corporate interests".

The thing is, it is abnormal for a church to bless the army. That simple.

Hence the phrease philochristo comes from. She doesn't "love" it, she recognizes it is an abnormality but she blesses it anyway because it serves a use (pressumambly keeping the congregation from being slaughtered).

(we're talking about the army as an entity, not indivindual people)

[rah]

Hearing anything more than a general thanks for the troops since it's veteran's day, would be the cue for finding another church. (back when I was younger and actually attended)

[Elok]

The middle school I subbed at today had an hourlong Veteran's Day assembly to remind the kids that 'Murica. I was surprised by the depth of my own revulsion. The Marine JROTC from the local high school showed up to do some flag and rifle drills, the band played some patriotic stuff, and a lady with combat experience shared a touching story about her time in Iraq in 2003 when the people were actually excited to see Americans. She left out any mention of invisible WMD, or what Iraq is like now, or $43 million substations, or child-molesting Afghans, or record opium crops, or or or. I stood in the back remembering the Bush years and trying not to visibly grimace. I figured any sign of disapproval would turn the whole faculty and student body hostile, and I rather like the school when they aren't having civic religion moments.

For a brief moment, I think I understood how atheists feel: "this attractive pageantry hides something deeply ugly and destructive, and they're selling it to children. Uck. And I can't say anything because they're so rabid for it they'll assume I'm a monster if I don't smile and clap along." But then I reflected that I thought the atheists were wrong about that. So perhaps the lesson is that we are all potentially monsters for one cause or another?