"Do not be surprised that you fall every day; do not give up, but stand your ground courageously. And assuredly, the angel who guards you will honour your patience." - St John Climacus
The devil once appeared to St. Pachomius the Great, disguised in the very image of Christ, and addressed the elder: 'Rejoice, old man, for you have pleased me so much. I am Christ and have come to you as a friend.' St. Pachomius was amazed and began to reason: 'The coming of Christ to a person is accompanied by joy; the heart feels no fear, and all thoughts immediately disappear. The mind becomes as clear as the eyes of a seraph, and the whole vision is fixed on the glory of the Lord; the soul forgets time, and a person becomes spiritless. Yet now, I am embarrassed and afraid... No, this is certainly not Christ!' Then, having sanctified himself with the sign of the cross, he boldly said: 'Get away from me, spirit of malice! Cursed be the cunning of all your endeavors.' The ghost instantly disappeared, and the temple was filled with a stench.
Maybe this is the reason why Italians are less open to LGTV and why they haven’t recognised phag marriage yet. They are also one of the few countries in Europe to use their own language, alongside Macedonia.
The other ones are either UN official languages or global languages.
Fedor Emelianenko, known as “The Last Emperor,” is considered one of the greatest heavyweight fighters in MMA history. Yet beyond the octagon, he has always spoken of himself first as an Orthodox Christian, a man conscious of sin, repentance, humility and the judgment of God.
In December 2025, asked about the tension between his faith and his profession, Fedor said: “Our sport is not pleasing to God, because the commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself, and in our sport we injure each other and hit people on the head very harshly.” He added: “We do not live according to the commandments but according to our own desires. Much to my regret.”
He has also said: “A real strong fighter should always look dignified and calm. Any expression of aggression is an expression of weakness.”
In a world that glorifies pride, rage and victory at any cost, Fedor’s words point to something far higher, the Orthodox path of humility, self-accusation and repentance. The greatest heavyweight fighter of his generation is not afraid to confess his weakness before God.
One of the great tragedies of our time is how thoroughly the headscarf has been "Islamized" in the public imagination. A woman covering her hair is now seen almost exclusively as a marker of the strict Islamic dress code. See any Woman wearing a head covering and the mind immediately thinks of Islam, and from there to the assumption that it is a symbol of women's oppression.
What gets lost is that nearly every culture in the world once had its own rich tradition of headwear and veiling for women. A century ago it was simply normal. Yet people are now walking away from that heritage for no better reason than its association with another group, and some have come to view it with open hostility.
In French schools it's forbidden by law to wear any type of "ostentatious" religious sign, the law purposely very ambiguous allows teachers to put a total ban. I've experienced it.
While the girls below would be banned from entering, girls dressed like prostitutes are welcome.
@reformedroom I heard from a kid from Church some bad stories about (orthodox) discord servers. Like police had to get involved slander and claims of some bad stuff etc. Be careful man