Between East and West - Terminology problems

[anglomedved]

On the windy bridge between western Christianity and Orthodoxy where my bishop has placed me, one of my most difficult problems is turning out to revolve around four terms:

 Tradition, Culture, Civilization and Morality.

 I am not sure that western Christianity and Orthodoxy mean the same things here.

 Tradition is the West is pure Christian traditio, in the East it is an impenetrable amalgam of traditio and national tradition, with the exact dosage of the two left largely to the discretion of the individual priest.

 In the Orthodox mind, it seems that Culture and Civilization seem to go together, in the West, Culture, in the form of 'popular culture' can be pretty uncivilized.

 In particular for the west, Morality is inseparable from the other three, whereas I get the impression it rather goes its own separate way in Orthodoxy. You can be damned immoral but still be viewed as civilized and cultured…

Comments

[ursusanglicanus.livejournal.com]

I would be the first to admit that our businessmen in the west are not whiter than white. It is a matter of degree.
But what I can say is that in 60 years living in England, Belgium, France, Germany and the United States I have never once had to bribe an official or a policeman.

[bizantinum.livejournal.com]

Ну это вероятно от тупости тамошних полицейских (они просто не знают, что можно брать взятки). А если серьёзно, о коррумпированности еврочиновников, пресса пишет регулярно.

[ursusanglicanus.livejournal.com]

Other countries' sins have always sold newpapers and TV documentaries (with the added 'doesn't happen here' feel-good factor which you don't have when they report corruption closer at home).

As a theologian I rather suspect that the basic 'quantum' of evil is pretty much the same in any society, just distributed differently as to where the evil one thinks he can do most damage...

And if on top of this he can get countries to despise each other for each others' more visible sins, he kills two birds with one stone.

[bizantinum.livejournal.com]

У нас говорят: "убить двух зайцев одним выстрелом".
А вообще, сами понимаете, что проблема то не в коррупции, а отходе от Христа и его Заповедей.