Month: October 2020

Categories
faith

More chaos in the Greek Archdiocese

Without getting into the specifics as the facts are not fully known at this time. What is fairly certain is the fact the Greek Orthodox Archbishop has now chosen to abrogate the Archdiocesan charter without consulting the members of the Holy Synod or the faithful. In other words, more controversy within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.

This is on top of the scandals involving Saint Nicholas Shrine and the near bankruptcy of the Archdiocese itself. At a time when the faithful have serious anxieties owing to the coronavirus and the political upheavals in America, and the possibility of a Greek war with Turkey, one would think the leadership at the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Archdiocese would have greater empathy for the Greek Orthodox faithful. Apparently, the Archdiocese and by extension the Patriarchate do not grasp the realities under which we are all living.

A spiritual shepherd would be looking to give assurances to the faithful of the Archdiocese not to despair under the present difficulties. Assurances would be given that the light of Christ always manifests itself even during the times of darkness. The faithful would be encouraged to persevere and to endure the hardship in expectation of better things to come through the miraculous glory of Jesus Christ our King and our God.

That the Archdiocese continues to antagonize the faithful and to create new problems on top of the old is beyond comprehension. In any case, we can all be assured that the head of the Church is Jesus Christ. We can also be assured by the fact that there are in the Church today untold numbers of living Saints not yet recognized as such.

During the twentieth century we have seen wonderful people of God including Saint Nektarios of Aegina (himself having endured difficulties with Church officials). We also have the examples of Saint Tikhon of Moscow and other Russian clerics who were martyred by the Communists but who endured their suffering to the end with Christian endurance. There are also the examples of Saint Chrysostom of Smyrna who was butchered by the Turks after refusing opportunities to save himself in order to remain with his flock.

During the Second World War, there was the example of Saint Maria Skoptskova, a Russian nun from Paris who died at a Nazi death camp because of her activities in assisting French Jews. There are no shortages of Saints who have lived remarkable and self less lives many of whom suffered horribly at the end in witness to Christ and for the love of other human beings.

We must remember the examples of Christ, the Apostles, and the Saints during these difficult times of disease and upheavals. We especially consider the examples of Christ and the Saints even as we remain baffled and perplexed by the ongoing chaos of the Archdiocese.

Categories
Published commentaries

Greece, Turkey, and the Evolution of American Diplomacy

My commentary published in the Greek American National Herald

OPINIONS – COLUMNISTS

Theodore G. Karakostas

Greece, Turkey, and the Evolution of American Diplomacy

Ευρωκίνηση

FILE – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in previous meeting in London. (Photo by Eurokinissi/ Dimitris Papamitsos)3/10/2020 By Theodore G. Karakostas     

There have been several crises between Greece and Turkey over the last several decades. These include the anti-Greek pogroms in the holy city of Constantinople on September 6, 1955. They also include the further ethnic cleansing and mass expulsions of Orthodox Greeks from Constantinople in 1964. In July and August 1974, Turkey invaded the Republic of Cyprus twice. On January 31, 1996 Turkey claimed for itself an islet in the Aegean belonging to Greece that was called Imia. That islet along with others was demonstrably proven to belong to Greece according to the Treaty of Peace with Italy of 1947. It is important to recount all these previous instances of Turkish aggression and provocations in light of the present displays of aggression being directed at Greece and  

Cyprus by Ankara. 

At the present time, American media such as the New York Times and Bloomberg have criticized the Trump administration for allegedly not acting to defuse the crisis. From a Hellenic perspective, there is a huge problem with this conclusion. This necessitates a  recall of how the aforementioned crises created by Turkey were handled by the United States. After the anti-Greek pogroms of 1955, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles wrote identical letters to Greek Prime Minister Alexander Papagos and Turkish Prime Minister 

Adnan Menderes. At the time it was not yet known that the Menderes government organized the pogroms against the Greek community. Still, the United States and NATO refused to condemn Turkey and subsequently threatened to cut off all military assistance to Greece if Athens persisted in its diplomatic and political efforts against the Turkish barbarism.  

In 1964, American diplomacy was non-existent when tens of thousands of Greeks were either expelled from Constantinople or fled in terror. As is well known, during the summer of 1974 Secretary of State Henry Kissinger supported the dual Turkish invasions of Cyprus because of his hostility to President-Archbishop Makarios. The Turks seized thirty-seven percent of Cyprus and ethnically cleansed over 200,000 Greek Cypriots from their homes. The Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus remains up to the present day. On January 31,1996 the United States Undersecretary of State Richard Holbrooke brokered an unsatisfactory settlement between Greece and Turkey in the aftermath of the Imia affair. Imia was an islet belonging to Greece and Athens came under enormous pressure to abandon its own territory and to remove the Greek flag from the islet. A Turkish victory to be sure. 

Therefore, those who lament the passing of the old American diplomacy have ignored the fact that virtually all acts of aggression from Turkey against Greece have been to the moral and political disadvantage of the Greek world. The Trump administration’s absence from the Greek-Turkish crisis has in fact been to the advantage of Greece. Greece has stood firmly and in defiance of Turkey and there has been no American pressure to force Greece to surrender as occurred on January 31, 1996 when Athens withdrew its sovereignty over the islet of Imia because of American Undersecretary of State Richard Holbrooke. During this past year Greece has successfully defended its border with Turkey by refusing to admit thousands of refugees that Turkey was attempting to push into Greece. Most recently, Greece achieved at the very least a temporary victory when the Turkish vessel Oruc Reis ceased drilling for oil in Greek waters.  

The absence of American pressure on Greece under the Trump administration is a major break from all or most previous administrations of both parties. The Trump administration’s absence from the scene is to the benefit of Greece. Furthermore, Democratic Candidate for President Joseph Biden has been depicted by many as a friend of Hellenism. This is quite simply untrue and this image can be refuted by two important facts. Turkish officials have recently boasted of the willingness of Syrian volunteers to fight on the Turkish side in the event of a war between Greece and Turkey. Where exactly have these Syrian volunteers come from? These Syrians are jihadists that were sponsored by Turkey in Syria to fight the Assad regime and its Russian ally. These Syrians were also supported by the Obama administration and its Vice President Joseph Biden who provided these jihadists with important training and battlefield experiences.  

Secondly, the Syrian war that Joseph Biden supported as Vice President in the Obama administration was responsible for flooding the Greek islands with Syrian refugees. Joseph Biden and the administration he served have given Turkey a powerful weapon against Greece and  

Europe. The Syrian war created a refugee crisis that flooded both the Greek islands and Turkey. The Turkish government is exploiting millions of refugees in Turkey for use as a political weapon against Greece and Europe. The use of these refugees to threaten Greece and Europe becomes more dangerous and evil considering many of them may have COVID-19 and could infect people in Greece and throughout Europe. As such, the Syrian war that Joseph Biden supported as Vice President has created further potential threats for Greece in  addition to the present territorial expansionism being pursued by the Erdogan government.  

President Donald Trump is not exactly a friend of Greece at this time. But his radical changes in American foreign policy have been beneficial for Greece. The Trump administration ended the Syrian war that flooded the Greek islands with Muslims and Greece has benefitted from Washington’s absence in the crisis between Greece and Turkey. At a very minimum, the Trump administration has ended the traditional foreign policy of both political parties that always and without exception always supported Turkey over Greece. While it is true that  

Donald Trump maintains friendly relations with the Erdogan government it is also true that every administration for the past century has been pro-Turkish. Previous to the United States the western world in the form of the Empire of Great Britain and France supported the Ottoman Empire throughout the nineteenth century.  

France and Italy were both notorious for their support of Mustafa Kemal’s campaign against the Greeks in Asia Minor. Donald Trump can hardly be criticized considering the long and historic support for Turkey and its crimes against humanity by the western world. In any case, change appears to be happening.  

Categories
political

Erdogan and Jerusalem

Turkish President (Sultan) Erdogan has now put forward territorial claims on Jerusalem. This should be a warning to both Israelis and Palestinians alike that Turkey is a menace. Furthermore, Turkish claims on Jerusalem also conflict with Jordan which has the role of being the protector and guardian of the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem and the Holy Land were part of the Ottoman Empire for four hundred years. Erdogan is putting forward a claim on Jerusalem on this basis. Furthermore, Erdogan is declaring himself to be the ruler and representative of Muslims. The rest of the Muslim world can not be happy with these claims being put forward by the Turkish President.

Ten years ago, Turkey nearly started a war with Israel when a flotilla that included many stupid leftists from America and Europe left the occupied territories of Cyprus and went to Gaza to confront the Israelis. The “activists” had no regard for the territorial integrity of Cyprus whose sovereignty they violated when they entered the Turkish occupied territories. They willfully made themselves instruments of the Turkish regime and were being used.

This was an early case of Turkish aggression. Five years later, Turkey shot down a Russian plane over Syria. Another act of aggression. And in Syria, Turkey threatened to invade the Kurdish regions where the Syrian Kurds heroically fought and defeated the Islamic State. The Israelis, the Russians, and the Trump administration all chose to deescalate. The leaders of these countries all acted rationally and sought to avoid the possibility of a major war.

Turkish President Erdogan has proceeded to escalate tensions more recently with Greece, Cyprus, and Armenia. He is also supporting Syrian jihadists in Libya who are fighting the Russians, and other who are fighting the Azerbaijanis in Artsakh. It appears that Washington, Moscow, and Tel Aviv have not entirely gotten the message about Turkey.

The Israelis are reported to be the biggest arms suppliers to the jihadists in Azerbaijan. A thoroughly unscrupulous policy and one that looks to be self defeating as Azerbaijan is a Turkish proxy. Erdogan’s statements on Jerusalem should be a loud warning to Israel that it should be backing the Armenians in Artsakh.

The Russians have rightfully joined the international community in condemning the opening of the beach in Varosha, a town in Cyprus that remains under Turkish occupation. The Russians also happen to have a defense pact with Armenia and should be backing the Armenians. Azerbaijan and Turkey are being assisted by the very same jihadists that the Russians fought in Syria.

Greece needs to be prepared. Turkey may very well instigate a war much like the one that Azerbaijan has instigated against Armenia. At this point, the security of America, Europe, and Russia heavily depend on the successful defenses of Armenia, Greece, and Cyprus. Erdogan’s Turkey is emerging as one of the world’s most preeminent threats.

Categories
political

Varosha

The Turkish occupied forces in Cyprus have proceeded to carry out their threat to open the town of Varosha which has been a ghost town since the 1974 Turkish invasions of Cyprus. This move has been universally condemned. Furthermore, Greece and Cyprus have threatened to renew efforts to pressure the European Union to impose sanctions on Turkey.

Greece and Cyprus do not want a war with Turkey. But Turkish actions are extreme and the Erdogan government continues to provoke. It is abundantly clear that President Erdogan is too fanatical to be reasoned with. The Greek Government continues to pursue diplomacy by meeting with Turkish officials.

This is understandable as all efforts to avoid war should made. But can war really be avoided when the Turks openly boast about the slaughter of Greeks at Smyrna in 1922? Erdogan has made very clear that he is a rogue leader. He proceeded to convert Hagia Sophia into a Mosque and is proceeding accordingly with his plans to promote Turkish expansionism in the Aegean Sea and in Cyprus.

The Greeks need to keep open lines of communication with Washington and Moscow. Likewise, with European States that are pro Greek such as Paris, Vienna, and Rome. Germany should be shunned at the diplomatic level as the Germans are only concerned with appeasing Turkey. Germany’s stance in favor of appeasing Turkey to avoid Ankara’s threats to flood Europe with Middle Eastern refugees is pathetic.

The Russian government has condemned the Turkish moves in Varosha and this should be sign as a welcome show of support by Greece and Cyprus. Likewise, President Donald Trump has publicly accused Turkey of undermining the war against Syria. Athens and Nicosia must work extra hard to win support from both Washington and Moscow in their fight against Turkey.

Greece’s closest ally right now is Armenia which is fighting a defensive war against Azerbaijan. It is crucial that Greece and Cyprus assist Armenia in any way possible. Just as Turkey was the sponsor of jihadism during the Syrian war, Ankara is again sponsoring jihadists who are fighting alongside Azerbaijan.

In the days and weeks to come, we will see how democratic and civilized the western world really is. Will western governments stand up for the Armenians and the Greeks against Turkish jihadism and expansionism?

Categories
political

Greece triumphs over Evil

It appears that the Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party in Greece have been convicted of murdering a left wing rapper back in 2013. The convictions are good news and this likely puts an end to the difficult years of economic troubles in Greece which enabled the extremism of the right to make a comeback. Golden Dawn never came close to taking the reigns of power in Greece, but for too long they were a power on the streets of Athens where they beat and terrorized immigrants and minorities.

The former government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras showed a great deal of tolerance for Golden Dawn as their members terrorized migrants in Greece. It was only when the Neo-Nazis murdered an ethnic Greek that the Samaras government proceeded to crack down. The Samaras government’s tolerance for the Neo-Nazis demonstrated a lack of Christian morality and decency.

This party which was like the original Nazi Party of Germany based on ideas of racial purity, neo-paganism, anti-semitism, and the occult was thoroughly evil. This deceitful movement even tried to masquerade as the defenders of Greek Orthodoxy. Golden Dawn was linked with the black metal music scene based on pro satanic and anti Christian themes. In its own publications it demonstrated contempt for Christianity as did the original Nazi Party.

In Greece’s last national elections, the Neo-Nazis did not receive votes to enter Parliament. This was very good news and their convictions today are also good news. Their is a moral lesson here in that all extremist ideas and movements ranging from the extreme right to the extreme left should be condemned by good people.

Categories
political

Support the Armenians!

Azerbaijan has started a war of aggression against the Armenians of Artsakh. Azerbaijan has the open support of the Turkish government. The murderous and genocidal policies of Turkey that led to the extermination of the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greeks Christians of Anatolia are being revived today. Just as Azerbaijan is waging aggressive war against Armenia (Nagorno Karabakh is rightfully a part of Armenia) Turkey has been threatening to do likewise against Greece.

The whole of the Christian world (East and West) is obligated to support the Armenians as much as possible. A repetition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 is unthinkable. Some time ago, the government of Azerbaijan threatened to attack a nuclear power plant in Armenia. It appears that the Azerbaijani leadership is even less capable of rational thought than the leadership in Ankara.

The United States and Russia are both morally obligated to help the Armenians. The United States claims to support democracy while the Russians claim for themselves the sponsorship of Christianity. The Azerbaijanis appear to be another jihadist state making use of Syrian jihadists. Israel has taken an immoral position by inexplicably supporting Azerbaijan.

Syria appears to have become the new Afghanistan. The Reagan administration support of the notorious “Afghan Arabs” during the 1980’s led to the formation of Al Qaida during the 1990’s. The western world’s support for jihadists in Syria has apparently permitted jihadism to revive even after the destruction of Islamic State.

Syrian jihadists have been used by Turkey to fight against the Russians in Libya. Now they are fighting on behalf of Azerbaijan. The Russians were on the right side in Syria. Hopefully, Moscow will recognize that the enemies they fought in Syria and are fighting in Libya are waging war against the Christian Armenians.

During the First World War, the Russian Empire gave support to the Armenians against the Ottoman Empire. It is time for the Russians to demonstrate their claims to sponsorship of Eastern Christianity by fully supporting the Armenians militarily, diplomatically, and politically. The Trump administration which admirably cut off aid to the jihadists in Syria must recognize those same jihadists are engaged in aggressive war against the Armenians.

Categories
faith

On the inaccurate statements of a Church of Greece hierarch

His Eminence Metropolitan Anthimos of Alexandroupolis has criticized the Russian Orthodox Church and accused it of trying to erase the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This assessment is completely and entirely false. The Russian Church has done nothing to harm the Ecumenical Patriarchate other than to defend itself, its clergy, and its faithful from persecution.

It is abundantly clear that many of the hierarchs of the Church of Greece are ignorant of what has been happening in Ukraine. Furthermore, there is no excuse for being ignorant considering that fact that several hierarchs of the Church of Greece including Metropolitans Serapheim of Pireaus, Serapheim of Kythyra, Nektarios of Corfu, and Simeon on New Smyrna have informed the Synod as to what has been happening in Ukraine. In addition, prominent priests and theologians such as Father Theodore Zisis, Father Anastasios Gotsopoulos, and Professor Demetrios Tselengides have all spoken against recognition of the Ukrainians schismatics in great detail citing the Church canons.

Over one year ago, a petition in Greece signed by priests, theologians, monastics, and lay people was sent to the Holy Synod asking them NOT to recognize the schismatics. There is simply no reason for the hierarchs of the Church of Greece to be issuing statements based on ignorance. The true facts regarding the situation in Ukraine are well known and it is only because of laziness that Greek hierarchs refuse to be enlightened about Ukraine.

It is an established fact that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the synod of Metropolitan Onuphry is the canonical Church of Ukraine. The Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, and the Church of Greece maintained communion with this canonical synod until 2018-2019. An “autocephalous” Church cannot be established on the territory where a canonical Church already exists.

The canonical Church consists of two thirds of all Ukrainians. This fact has either been disregarded by Greek hierarchs or these hierarchs are too lazy to get information. The legitimate Church has been fiercely persecuted and Greek hierarchs refuse to open their eyes. We Greeks can’t really complain anymore about the plight of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey since we are in effect supporting the persecution of Orthodox in Ukraine.

His Eminence Metropolitan Anthimos seems to forget the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s previous attacks on the Church of Greece. It has been reported previously by the Greek language “Orthodox Typos” in Athens that the late Archbishop Serapheim (1974-1998) refused to invite Patriarch Bartholomew to Athens because of the Patriarch’s encroachments on the canonical territory of the Church of Greece. Furthermore, the late Archbishop Christodoulos (1998-2008) very publicly feuded with Patriarch Bartholomew because of Constantinople’s aggressive actions in Northern Greece.

If the Church of Greece today had the kind of strong leadership that Archbishops Serapheim and Christodoulos provided it is unlikely that the Athens Synod would have recognized the Ukrainian schismatics. The two previous Archbishops were both independent minded and provided guidance to the Holy Synod. The present Archbishop Ieronymos on the other hand has not only not provided leadership he has bowed before the secular interests of the State Department and the American Embassy in Athens.

The Russians have never tried to undermine the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Moscow has always affirmed both by its statements and attendance at Pan Orthodox gatherings that the Ecumenical Patriarch is “first among equals”. Moscow has never tried to remove Constantinople from holding first place in the dyptychs or abolishing its “primacy of honour”.

Moscow has only challenged Constantinople when the latter Church has attempted to exceed its authority by attempting to grab Moscow’s territory as it did during the mid 1990’s when it established its own Bishops in Estonia. His Eminence Metropolitan Anthimos should recall that the late Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens openly supported Moscow during the Estonian crisis. In addition, the Church of Greece has resisted Constantinople’s encroachments just as Moscow has.

Yet, it would not be accurate to say that the Church of Greece was trying to “erase” the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The state into which the Greek Orthodox world has fallen is truly lamentable. Our Churches are now under the influence of the State Department.

How ironic this is. His Eminence Metropolitan Anthimos accuses the Russians of trying to “erase” the Ecumenical Patriarchate. His Eminence should reread the history of the Church of Constantinople during the 1950’s and the 1960’s. When the Turkish government waged its campaign of ethnic cleansing against Orthodox Greeks through pogroms and mass expulsions the State Department uttered not a single word of protest on behalf of the Patriarchate’s flock.

Who is really trying to “erase” the Ecumenical Patriarchate? It is not the Russians.

Categories
political

Europe against Greece and Cyprus

The European Union has refused to impose sanctions on Turkey as demanded by the Government of Cyprus. The Europeans have imposed sanction on Byelorussia which can be easily interpreted as an indirect attack on Russia since that country is a Russian ally. Turkish aggression against Cyprus and Greece has won a reprieve and most likely because of the Germans who seek to appease Turkish dictator Erdogan.

Turkey is engaging in acts of aggression against Greek and Cypriot territorial rights in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. The refusal of the European Union to impose sanctions on Turkey proves that the Hellenic world cannot put its trust in western alliances. Greece and Cyprus can and should work with individual members such as France and Italy who have been supportive, but should reject the European Union as a whole.

The European Union imposed sanctions on Byelorussia although that country is not a member of the European Union and so its internal affairs are a domestic matter. Cyprus and Greece are both members of the European Union and have received no support although they are being menaced by a jihadist state that is not a member of the European Union. The pressure is on Greece and Cyprus to surrender at it has been so many times in history.

Categories
cinema

Christian faith and horror films

Today is October 1 and the season of Halloween is near. There is a great deal of debate among Christians about the appropriateness of Halloween. Some say that its roots are pagan and inappropriate for Christians while others say it is harmless.

I am in the middle of this. I usually commemorate Halloween by watching classic horror films and rereading classic horror stories such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. These are respected classics of English literature and have inspired great horror films that made Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Peter Cushing, and Christopher Lee famous. I credit horror cinema for giving me an interest to read the Bible and take an interest in my Orthodox faith.

At some point during the month, I am going to make a list of the greatest horror films of all time. To start Halloween off though I will simply review some horror films with Christian themes. The first film I will mention is the one that I wrote about in the first post that appeared on this blog back on May 11.

The 1973 horror classic “The Wicker Man” starred Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee. The film is British and the story is set on a Scottish island in which a Police Officer (played by Woodward) has been summoned to investigate the case of a missing girl. The officer is a devout Christian and Churchgoer and comes to discover that the island not only has no Churches or Christian clerics but is inhabited by Pagans!

The Officer is stunned by the immorality of the pagans and their bizarre lifestyles. Officer Howie eventually meets the leader of the pagan cult (Christopher Lee) who openly expresses disdain for Christianity and approval of the false pagan gods worshipped by the cult. Officer Howie acts appropriately like a Christian and expresses outrage at everything that he sees and hears. This film is in many ways a foreshadowing of the very real anti Christian sentiments that we are beginning to see in our own day.

Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” has inspired many cinematic versions starting with the 1922 silent feature, “Nosferatu” that starred Max Shreck. A remake of “Nosferatu” was released in 1979 that starred Bruno Ganz and Klaus Kinski. The most famous “Dracula” of all time however was the 1931 classic that starred Bela Lugosi. Lugosi defined the very character of Dracula.

In 1958 the British film company “Hammer Films” made “Horror of Dracula” a new version based on Stoker’s novel. This version is my favorite version. The original was great but I like this one mostly because of the ending. Dracula is a classic Christian story based on Christianity vs Satanism. Dracula is a vampire who represents the Devil.

The hero of the story is Van Helsing, well educated Doctor who understands that medicine has its limits and some problems which afflict people are spiritual. Van Helsing is a Doctor who carries a crucifix and holy water. It is his mission to destroy Dracula. The ending of the 1958 “Horror of Dracula” shows Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) making a cross out of two candlesticks and opening the curtains in Dracula’s library to let the sunlight in.

The power of the cross and the power of the sun light emanating from God destroy Dracula who cannot stand the power of Christ. The power of the cross destroys the evil and death that Dracula represents. This scene reminds me of the vision that Saint Constantine saw before going to battle with his troops in 312 AD which depicted the cross and a voice that said “by this sign conquer”.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was originally written in 1816 and became a classic about the irresponsibility of man. Film versions have made significant changes to the story but the original themes remain intact. Frankenstein is about man’s blasphemy in trying to emulate God.

The 1931 film by Universal Pictures (which also made Dracula) starred Boris Karloff as the monster. Colin Clive played the Doctor who was either an atheist or an agnostic and who dared to interfere with life and death. The result of his actions bring nothing but death and grief to the Doctor and those around him.

The Hammer Films version called “The Curse of Frankenstein” which was released in 1957 is not as good as the Karloff version but Peter Cushing stands out as the greatest Dr. Frankenstein ever depicted on film. Whereas the Doctor in the 1931 film version was a seriously misguided individual who later repented in the 1935 sequel the “Bride of Frankenstein” the Cushing version of the Doctor is nothing more than a complete psychopath.

The Doctor in the novel and the 1931 film steals body parts to make his creature. The Cushing version of the Doctor actually murders an elderly Professor to steal his brain. This series of Frankenstein films which lasted until 1973 are actually very fun. Whereas the previous versions of the Doctor in the novel and the 1931 film showed him as being motivated to help mankind, the Cushing version shows him as the ultimate blasphemer in trying to make himself god. The Hammer Film series of films may be the most Christian versions of Frankenstein ever made.

Then there is “Rosemary’s Baby” released in 1968 and based on the novel by Ira Levin. The story centers around a rather gullible flake named Rosemary who comes from a staunch Roman Catholic family but gradually drifts away from her Christian faith. She marries a secular guy who has to be the most evil and horrible husband in the history of cinema (horror and non horror).

Her husband Guy wants to be an actor and after he and Rosemary move into a new apartment building they befriend and elderly couple. Elderly people who look nice and harmless. I am reminded from Saint Paul in the New Testament who writes, “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14.

The harmless looking elderly couple are the leaders of a satanic cult whose members are overwhelmingly old and harmless looking but who are evil. The character of Rosemary’s husband Guy (brilliantly played by Greek American actor John Cassavetes) enters into a pact with the Devil. The film has no violence or blood but it is very scary and disturbing.

It is however Christian because it is a warning about people who lose their faith in God. Horror films like this serve as a warning that evil and the Devil exist. Furthermore, it demonstrates that evil can appear in many forms and is able to disguise itself quite effectively. We have the examples of Nazi war criminals and serial killers who appeared outwardly to be nice and normal to their families and associates but inwardly they were motivated by evil.

Finally, in this brief introduction to horror cinema there is “The Exorcist”. A theologically powerful film in which Roman Catholic Priests participated. The story centers around a twelve year old girl living with her divorced mother. Regan gradually begins to change. Her mother takes her to Doctors and Psychiatrists who cannot help her.

The Mother, either an agnostic or atheist becomes convinced that her daughter is demonically possessed. She turns to Christian priests to help her. The moral in the film is that some problems are spiritual and cannot be resolved by Doctors or Psychiatrists. God is the hero in this film who defeats the Devil.

This is another film which warns us about the reality of Evil and about the Devil. The film has one or two scenes that make me uncomfortable and there is one scene in particular I would have liked to see removed.

Still, the film is very powerful and dramatic. It is also faithfully based on scripture The Gospels have several accounts of Jesus exorcising people who were possessed. The Devil is depicted here as being repulsive and hideous. He is obscene, vulgar, and disgusting. He is as Jesus tells us in the Gospels, “the father of all lies”.

The Exorcist, Frankenstein, and Dracula really awakened my interest in matters of faith and theology. The Exorcist was based on the original novel by William Peter Blatty who is a devout Roman Catholic. It is not for everyone as many people will be severely disturbed by it.

It is however a theologically important film. Horror films and stories take the subject of evil and faith very seriously.