Mormon 'missionaries' disrupt Orthodox Church service

[Catharsis]

Mormons Rush into Orthodox Church in Bulgaria's Burgas, Interrupt Service

5 June 2008, Thursday
novinite

Two mormon preachers rushed Thursday into "Saints Cyril and Methodius" orthodox church in Bulgaria's coastal city of Burgas to interrupt the morning service, held to mark the Ascension of Jesus.

The missionaries entered the temple and announced in Bulgarian before the people inside they were going to preach.

The young men refused to leave even after priest Zahari asked them to. The scandal lasted for about half an hour before the mormons were taken out of the church almost by force.

"Such an incident happened for the first time and that aggressive behaviour was a precedent," father Zahari said.

"I have ceased all responsible institutions and will insist on removing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Bulgaria's creed register as well as extraditing of its missionaries," he added.



Christian Orthodox priests want Mormons out of Bulgaria - report
16:00 Fri 06 Jun 2008 - Petar Kostadinov
sofiaecho


Bulgarian Orthodox Church priests from the town of Bourgas on the Black Sea have asked the authorities to extradite a number of Mormon ministers, all of whom are foreign citizens.

According to local-based website bourgasinfo.com, the Orthodox priests from SS Cyril and Methodius church in Bourgas wanted the state to ban the preaching of the Mormon religion in Bulgaria.

These requests follow the June 5 2008 incident that happened at the church. During the service for Spassov Den (the day of the Ascension of Christ the Saviour, celebrated on the fortieth day after Easter), the Mormons entered the church and interrupted the service by talking to people, according to the priests.

“This is inadmissible. They started walking around the church talking to people. They have crossed all boundaries because that way they infringed our religious freedom as Orthodox Christians. It was an act of religious hostility,� father Zahari Dachev told Bourgasinfo.com.

“We have sent a letter to the state institutions and to the US embassy asking them if this is how their citizens live in our country by breaking our rights and freedoms,� he said. “Bulgarians' tolerance is being taking advantage of.�

Dachev entered into an argument with the Mormons, who were physically removed out of the church in the end, reports in Bulgarian media said. Dachev has filed a complaint with the police.

According to him, this was not the first time that the Mormons have come to the church. At Tsvetnitsa (Palm Sunday), they were handing out flyers about Mormon religion to9 people waiting to enter the church.

[RyanP]

It is wrong for those Mormons to interrupt service like that. When Paul preached the Gospel to the synagogues, he was invited to speak as a guest to their service.

From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak." Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: "Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!" -- Acts 13:14-16

[McCulloch]

How is it much different from

And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.
And He said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER'; but you are making it a ROBBERS' DEN."
And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.
But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these children are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF'?"
And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

Hotheads who believe that they have the divine message from God have felt that they have the right to illegally disrupt the believers of falsehoods for a long time now.

[RyanP]

How is it much different from

And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.
And He said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER'; but you are making it a ROBBERS' DEN."

Good point but there's a significant difference in the two scenarios that could invalidate your analogy: those Mormons and Orthodox fought over beliefs whereas Jesus fought to rid the temple of salesmen.

Also, I was going to say that Jesus is an exception because He alone is worthy to judge but that logic doesn't work because only the Father can judge, not the Son, I think.

Hotheads who believe that they have the divine message from God have felt that they have the right to illegally disrupt the believers of falsehoods for a long time now.

This only applies to those Mormons, not Jesus, because Jesus wasn't "disrupting the believers of falsehoods."

[RyanP]

Also, I was going to say that Jesus is an exception because He alone is worthy to judge but that logic doesn't work because only the Father can judge, not the Son, I think.

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. --John 5:22-23

According to the New Testament, judgment resides in the Son alone so Jesus' attack on the sellers in the temple is just.

[Goat]

Also, I was going to say that Jesus is an exception because He alone is worthy to judge but that logic doesn't work because only the Father can judge, not the Son, I think.

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. --John 5:22-23

According to the New Testament, judgment resides in the Son alone so Jesus' attack on the sellers in the temple is just.

Well, that is the self justification of the rebel, and the claim that Jesus is the 'Son of God'.

However, you have to make the assumption that Jesus has the authority to disrupt things to say it isn't a sin.By all other standards, it is a sin and wrong.

[RyanP]

Also, I was going to say that Jesus is an exception because He alone is worthy to judge but that logic doesn't work because only the Father can judge, not the Son, I think.

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. --John 5:22-23

According to the New Testament, judgment resides in the Son alone so Jesus' attack on the sellers in the temple is just.

Well, that is the self justification of the rebel, and the claim that Jesus is the 'Son of God'.

However, you have to make the assumption that Jesus has the authority to disrupt things to say it isn't a sin.By all other standards, it is a sin and wrong.

Well, firstly, although rude disrupting church is not a sin. Secondly, just because you choose not to believe in the Son of Man does not withhold his judgment. Only the Father can entrust judgment but I guess if you don't believe in the Father either, I don't know what to say.

[Goat]

Also, I was going to say that Jesus is an exception because He alone is worthy to judge but that logic doesn't work because only the Father can judge, not the Son, I think.

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. --John 5:22-23

According to the New Testament, judgment resides in the Son alone so Jesus' attack on the sellers in the temple is just.

Well, that is the self justification of the rebel, and the claim that Jesus is the 'Son of God'.

However, you have to make the assumption that Jesus has the authority to disrupt things to say it isn't a sin.By all other standards, it is a sin and wrong.

Well, firstly, although rude disrupting church is not a sin. Secondly, just because you choose not to believe in the Son of Man does not withhold his judgment. Only the Father can entrust judgment but I guess if you don't believe in the Father either, I don't know what to say.

Of course, that is assuming that "Jesus" is the 'begotten son of God" , in a way that did not make sense to the ancient Jews. That phrase was used to mean someone that was exalted by God for their deeds.

I don't believe in the Mormon religion, nor in the orthodox, so I don't think it is a sin either. I think it was incredibly stupid, and very rude indeed, but stupidity has it's own reward.

[Vanguard]

Mormons Rush into Orthodox Church in Bulgaria's Burgas, Interrupt Service

5 June 2008, Thursday
novinite

Two mormon preachers rushed Thursday into "Saints Cyril and Methodius" orthodox church in Bulgaria's coastal city of Burgas to interrupt the morning service, held to mark the Ascension of Jesus.

The missionaries entered the temple and announced in Bulgarian before the people inside they were going to preach.

The young men refused to leave even after priest Zahari asked them to. The scandal lasted for about half an hour before the mormons were taken out of the church almost by force.

"Such an incident happened for the first time and that aggressive behaviour was a precedent," father Zahari said.

"I have ceased all responsible institutions and will insist on removing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Bulgaria's creed register as well as extraditing of its missionaries," he added.



Christian Orthodox priests want Mormons out of Bulgaria - report
16:00 Fri 06 Jun 2008 - Petar Kostadinov
sofiaecho


Bulgarian Orthodox Church priests from the town of Bourgas on the Black Sea have asked the authorities to extradite a number of Mormon ministers, all of whom are foreign citizens.

According to local-based website bourgasinfo.com, the Orthodox priests from SS Cyril and Methodius church in Bourgas wanted the state to ban the preaching of the Mormon religion in Bulgaria.

These requests follow the June 5 2008 incident that happened at the church. During the service for Spassov Den (the day of the Ascension of Christ the Saviour, celebrated on the fortieth day after Easter), the Mormons entered the church and interrupted the service by talking to people, according to the priests.

“This is inadmissible. They started walking around the church talking to people. They have crossed all boundaries because that way they infringed our religious freedom as Orthodox Christians. It was an act of religious hostility,� father Zahari Dachev told Bourgasinfo.com.

“We have sent a letter to the state institutions and to the US embassy asking them if this is how their citizens live in our country by breaking our rights and freedoms,� he said. “Bulgarians' tolerance is being taking advantage of.�

Dachev entered into an argument with the Mormons, who were physically removed out of the church in the end, reports in Bulgarian media said. Dachev has filed a complaint with the police.

According to him, this was not the first time that the Mormons have come to the church. At Tsvetnitsa (Palm Sunday), they were handing out flyers about Mormon religion to9 people waiting to enter the church.

Catharsis, I am having difficulty figuring out from where you assembled these articles much less a link for them?

From my own experience as a Mormon missionary in Brazil I would not be surprised to find out there are still some of these young men willing to brazenly interrupt religious services. Having said that, the information provided in your post comes across as being quite skewed (i.e, "Mormons Rush into Orthodox Church" <italics & underscoring added>). What does "rushing" a church service look like? Was this article taken from a Bulgarian publication? Why do I suspect religious elements in Bulgaria are not "warm" to Mormon "interlopers" in any context?

[officer2002]

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and have done my 2 year missionary service. Those missionaries were not following our beliefs and teachings by going into another church in the middle of a service.