The Snuson Confessional Sacristy & Bulletin

[wa3zrm]

Archaeologists in Turkey claim they found piece of Jesus’ cross

Archaeologists digging around an ancient church in Turkey say they’ve made a startling discovery and unearthed a piece of the cross that used to crucify Jesus.
The diggers found a stone chest this week and inside were several relics believed to be tied to the crucifixion. Among them was a piece of the actual cross upon which Jesus was nailed, one historian with Turkey’s Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts said in the Hurriyet Daily News.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...

[wa3zrm]

Musicians in Thailand kill U.S. tourist after he joined them onstage to sing

A U.S. business owner was killed in Thailand after going onstage to sing with a band.
What was supposed to be a fun vacation in Bangkok turned into a nightmare for one family.
Bobby Ray Carter, 51, of Texas, his wife Kelly, and their 18-month-old daughter Sadie, traveled to Thailand to celebrate Mr. Carter’s birthday. The Carters were meeting up with several other couples including Carter's adult son. The group went out to the Longhorn Saloon bar at the Ao Nang beach in Krabi province in Thailand.

(Excerpt) Read more at yourjewishnews.com ...

[Zimobog]

Seems like a bit of an over-reaction... I mean, how bad WAS his singing?

[wa3zrm]

Facebook Group Claims “Virgin Mary Should Have Aborted”
Life News ^ |

A group of concerned Christians are calling on Facebook to remove a page that promotes the notion that the Virgin Mary of the Bible should have received an abortion. Titled “Virgin Mary Should’ve Aborted,” the administrator of the page claims to “explain what really happened in the biblical times, since the bible is full of lies.”
With just over 3,000 ‘Likes,’ Celene Schartner of Australia says the page not only demeans what Christians believe, but it is slanderous and hateful. It diminishes the right to life of every unborn infant in its mother’s womb by its very title and statement.
“Many Christians worldwide are so distressed at the attempts to diminish Christian values and the slanderous attacks on the Bible,” said Schartner. “If people don’t believe that’s their choice, but they need to learn respect for the choices of others.”
Mrs. Schartner encourages others to join the protest by signing a petition that encourages the popular social media site to ban the page. As of the time of this release, more than 15,000 concerned Christians have signed the petition.
“I would never demean another Christian’s faith, or presume I have the right to do so, regardless of what they believe.”
As U.S. Spokesman for “Catholics & Protestants Against Facebook Religious discrimination”, Cary Bogue denounced the page as “beyond offensive”.
“No Christian, anywhere can consider this just ‘free speech.’ This has deliberately been set-up to offend and attack.”
Bogue maintains the page clearly is in violation of Facebook’s own policy, which states, “While we encourage you to challenge ideas, institutions, events, and practices, we do not permit individuals or groups to attack others based on their religion.”
Bogue believes Facebook has created an automated response to complaints about the page claiming it does not consider it an attack on a religion.
“That is just absurd. All we are asking is Facebook adhere to it’s own guidelines,” said Bogue.
The group has created its own Facebook page requesting ”Virgin Mary Should’ve Aborted,” be removed.

[wa3zrm]

Why Did They Crucify Jesus?

He died because he acted like the incarnate Son of God; spoke like the incarnate Son of God
What infuriated the establishment most were the claims to Lordship, the posture of authority, the exalted titles, the exercise of Messiahship, the presumed right to forgive, the way in which Jesus put himself in the center of Israel’s story, the delusions of grandeur, the acceptance of worship, and the audacity of man being God. Jesus did not die because the Jerusalem nasties couldn’t stand a souped up incarnation of Sesame Street.

(Excerpt) Read more at theaquilareport.com ...

[wa3zrm]

Dutch Prostitutes hit by economic crisis
National Turk ^ |Amsterdam’s famous red-light district under threat, economic crisis on the one hand and lawmakers are proposing changes to the sex-for-hire industry following a recognition in the freewheeling Netherlands

The economic crisis is forcing prostitutes to lower their prices and to accept dubious sexual practices, according to sector organisation Geisha.
‘The trend is apparent in the main cities, with some prostitutes unable to pay the rent on their rooms’, Ilonka Stakelborough from Geisha told Algemeen Dagblad.
Until recently, the minimum price was €50, but this has now dropped as low as €20 in cities such as Amsterdam and The Hague.
Geisha is to set up a project for sex workers so they can form a co-operative. Geisha will rent a room which prostitutes only pay rent for when they are actually working.
Amsterdam Red-Light District:Holland Debates Sex Trade

This city’s famed red-light district looks much as it has for years, with bikini-clad women behind plate-glass windows fluffing their hair or beckoning to passersby, colorful beds visible in the background as an unspoken invitation.
But things could soon change for the sex-for-hire industry following a recognition in the freewheeling Netherlands that its decision in 2000 to legalize brothels has failed to stem human trafficking.
“For something as simple as the lust for sex, we are tolerating modern-day slavery,” said Myrthe Hilkens, a Labor Party legislator who supports a series of moves to tighten the rules on prostitution. “I think that cannot be.”
The proposals are far-reaching. Most contested is a bill to require all prostitutes be registered with the government—a measure that has already been approved by the lower house but is struggling in the Senate.
Also in the works: raising the minimum age to 21 from 18, and a requirement that escort services be licensed, just as brothels currently are.
A vote is expected before the summer recess on July 9.
Meanwhile, the city government in Amsterdam on Wednesday is expected to approve tougher rules, including ordering brothels to close in the early-morning hours and requiring that prostitutes speak Dutch, English, German or Spanish, to make it harder to exploit them.
These ideas reflect a consensus that regulating prostitution hasn’t deterred human trafficking, which has increased since the opening of the former Soviet bloc in the 1980s.
“A huge concern is that a lot of criminal organizations send their prostitutes to the Netherlands,” said Ard van der Steur, a legislator from the center-right Liberal Party, which rules in a coalition with the left-leaning Labor Party. “Leaving everything the way it is fuels a grave concern that we are not doing what we should to prevent human trafficking.”
A similar debate is under way in Germany, which followed the Netherlands in liberalizing prostitution in 2002.
But critics say such restrictions will hurt sex workers, not those who exploit them. “You do not have to fight sex work, you have to fight trafficking,” said Ilonka Stakelborough, a former prostitute who now runs a Dutch advocacy group called Geisha.
Under the proposed registry, Holland’s roughly 20,000 prostitutes would have to meet with government officials and show they are not being coerced in order to get a registration card.
Critics call that a violation of the privacy of prostitutes, who may want to hide their current profession from future employers. A prostitute working involuntarily, often facing threats to her family, they add, can hardly be expected to tell a government official the truth.
“You put a coerced woman in front of a civil servant, and she will say whatever she has to say,” said Flavia Dzodan, an Amsterdam-based journalist who blogs on women’s issues.
The Senate will soon vote on whether to remove the registry from the bill. Underlying the debate is the broader question of whether prostitution can truly be “cleaned up.” The city’s red-light district, which expanded in the 17th century when Amsterdam was a leading port city, remains one of Europe’s big tourist attractions., with a Sex Museum, an elaborate condom shop and the smell of marijuana wafting from the many “coffee shops” authorized to sell it.
The city for several years has been trying to reshape the neighborhood, buying up brothels it considers dangerous, like those in dimly-lighted corners, and turning them into cafes or shops.
City officials say they have managed to cut the number of prostitutes’ windows in the red-light district from 500 to 409 in about five years, and want to ultimately bring it down to 300.
“We try not to address these problems from the moral point of view,” Eberhard van der Laan, Amsterdam’s mayor, said. “We say there is abuse and we want to fight it.”
The prostitution issue erupted in February, when Ms. Hilkens and another lawmaker, Gert-Jan Segers, made a highly publicized visit to Sweden, which outlaws buying sexual services but not selling them. Ms. Hilkens and Mr. Segers discussed this different approach from Holland’s in Dutch television studios.
No one expects the Netherlands to criminalize sex-for-hire soon, though Mr. Segers, of the Christian Union Party, believes it should. “It’s immoral when a man with power and money is buying the body of a woman,” he said. Dutch officials note prostitution is widely practiced even in countries that ban it. (In the U.S., prostitution is illegal except in parts of Nevada.)
“It’s unlikely to disappear anywhere on earth,” said Willem Witteveen, a Labor Party legislator. “You should bring it into the open and see if you can prevent excesses.”

[Premium Parrots]

discount sex.



time to toss out the fleshlite

[wa3zrm]

Court Says 'Pastafarian' Has Right to Wear Strainer Hat
Newser ^ | Even in his official license photo

Newser) – A Czech Republic court has struck a blow for religious freedom—ridiculous, ridiculous religious freedom. Lukás Novy, 29, successfully argued that he should be allowed to wear a pasta strainer on his head in his official, government-issued ID photo, because he was required to do so by his "Pastafarian" faith, the Daily Mail reports. Novy belongs to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a parody religion whose followers "believe" that a giant invisible monstrosity made of spaghetti and meatballs created the universe after "drinking heavily."
Novy said the faith required him to wear the strainer at all times. He's not the first to get away with the gag, either. Back in 2011, Austrian Pastafarian Niko Alm won a similar case, after a three-year court battle. The faith was originally invented in protest to the Kansas State Board of Education's plan to introduce intelligence design theory into its curriculum.

[Premium Parrots]

Court Says 'Pastafarian' Has Right to Wear Strainer Hat
Newser ^ | Even in his official license photo

Newser) – A Czech Republic court has struck a blow for religious freedom—ridiculous, ridiculous religious freedom. Lukás Novy, 29, successfully argued that he should be allowed to wear a pasta strainer on his head in his official, government-issued ID photo, because he was required to do so by his "Pastafarian" faith, the Daily Mail reports. Novy belongs to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a parody religion whose followers "believe" that a giant invisible monstrosity made of spaghetti and meatballs created the universe after "drinking heavily."
Novy said the faith required him to wear the strainer at all times. He's not the first to get away with the gag, either. Back in 2011, Austrian Pastafarian Niko Alm won a similar case, after a three-year court battle. The faith was originally invented in protest to the Kansas State Board of Education's plan to introduce intelligence design theory into its curriculum.

I attended a seminary with The Flying Spaghetti Monster back in the late 60's. We used to call him Meatball. He soon dropped out but I had a feeling he would eventually find his own way. Its nice to see a brother succeed. I wonder how many followers he has now.

[wa3zrm]

Oakland Man Guilty Of Murdering Friend During Argument Over Existence Of God
CBS LOCAL ^ |

An Oakland man has been found guilty of first-degree murder for shooting and killing his friend during an alcohol and cocaine-fueled argument over the existence of God.
33-year-old Douglas Yim was also found guilty Tuesday of assault with a firearm and mayhem for shooting a second friend in his living room two years ago.
Yim killed 25-year-old Dzuy Duhn Phan after a night of partying and playing video games. Another friend, Paul Park, testified the two men had engaged in a heated discussion about God.
Yim became enraged and grabbed his gun after Phan asked Yim where God was when Yim’s father died of a stroke several years earlier.
Yim shot Phan at least six times. Park was also hit by a bullet.
Yim faces 126 years to life in prison.

[wa3zrm]

Dwarf Set on Fire at Party
Emirates 24/7 ^

Allegations that a dwarf performer was set on fire during an Australian Football League club's end-of-season celebrations were being investigated Tuesday.
The league's chief executive Andrew Demetriou has apologised after laughing on ‘live’ television when told of the claims against a St Kilda Saints player, which he said he initially thought were a joke.
Blake Johnston and his colleague Arthur Serevetas were reportedly booked by the Saints to entertain players at their so-called ‘Mad Monday’ event this week, but it allegedly got out of hand.
Channel Nine said a group of players began using a lighter to set fire to each other's clothes as a prank, before one, who has not been named, is said to have turned his attention to Johnston, who is also a wrestler and goes under the moniker Mr Big.
"A player went behind my friend with one of those gas lighters that you light up a stove and basically lit him up," Serevetas told the broadcaster's Footy Classified show.
"Part of his shirt and pants caught on fire. After that someone put it out and he got ticked off and we basically left.
"That was the end of our gig basically."
Johnston was quickly helped by other players and suffered only minor injuries, the reports said.
Serevetas said he considered the St Kilda player's actions as criminal and had advised his colleague to take action.
A club spokesman told AFL.com.au: "The club is investigating and is unable to add anything further at this time."
When Demetriou was told of the incident on live television, he began giggling -- a reaction which sparked angry reaction on social media.
He later apologised, saying he thought it was a joke.
"I was actually giggling at the beginning... because I thought they were having me on. I thought it was a joke," he said.
"After I found out that it was true, it's just reprehensible. "I was flabbergasted because in the scheme of all the things we've been (through), that would have been one I could never have predicted that we would deal with.
"It wasn't meant to be offensive and I apologise to anyone who is offended."
Aussie Rules has endured a tough season, with Essendon coach James Hird banned for 12 months and the side hit with the biggest fine in the sport's history -- Aus$2.0 million (US$1.8 million) -- over a drug supplements scandal.

[wa3zrm]

U.N. offeres a sobering statistic: according to its recent study, more people on earth have access to cell phones than toilets.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/03/25/...#ixzz2e3OlNsfT

[wa3zrm]

Iran Plans To Send Persian Cat Into Space
Popular Science ^ |

The IRNA, Iran's official news agency, revealed today its plans to venture forth into space with perhaps the country's most iconic animal on board: the Persian cat. The flat-faced favorite of fanciers would be the first Iranian visitor to space after the possibly-fake space monkey that Iran insists returned safely from near space a few months back.
Iran's efforts to become a power in space--and certainly Iran has made more strides in this area than any of its neighbors, besides Israel--are concerning to many in the western world, who see Iran's presence in space as potentially dangerous. For its part, Iran says its space program is intended for innocuous reasons like improving communication and monitoring earthquakes. Some experts fear this may be only part of the story, that Iran is also seeking militarization technology in space.
Anyway, back to cats. So the Persian is a very old cat breed, dating back to what is now Iran and Turkey in the early 17th century. It's a friendly and docile breed, making it an ideal choice for apartment dwellers, and is one of the most popular city cats in the world. Its peculiar squashed face is accompanied by some physical problems; it often has trouble breathing, for example.
Iran says it plans to hurl a Persian into space by the end of the Iranian year, which wraps up on March 21st (the Iranian calendar begins on the vernal equinox). We'll keep you updated on this and all other spacecat news.

[wa3zrm]

A Mysterious Mass Conversion From Islam to Orthodox Christianity in Georgia
http://theorthodoxchurch.info ^ |

In 1991, 75% of Adjarians in Georgia were Muslims. Today, they have become 75% Orthodox Christians. How can these conversions be explained, which is apparently unique in the world? “What time do services begin at Saint Nicholas in Batumi on Sunday morning?” The question embarrasses the employee of the President Plaza, one of the largest institutions in the city, a seat of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara and the Iranian consulate. It is true that in the province of Georgia, washed by the Black Sea, the population speaks little English. All signs, such as signs in the streets, are in Georgian or Russian. The employee eventually suggests joining the Church of Saint Nicholas at 9:00 AM. In fact, the Service works strangely like a self-service. The faithful men, women (head always covered) and children come and go as they please, after long embracing of the icons and after they have crossed themselves multiple times. This curious to and fro takes most of the morning. The priest can hardly talk to us, since he speaks only Russian and Georgian. A student, smiling, who graduated in the language of Shakespeare, came to our rescue. We ask him the question: “How is it that the majority of the inhabitants of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara in Georgia, have in two decades abandoned Islam for Orthodoxy?” The girl apologizes, caught unaware, and prefers to dodge quickly.
Ottoman and Russian province
But the facts are there, Adjara, conquered by the Ottomans in the seventeenth century, was overwhelmingly Muslim. In 1878, this province of 3000 km2 falls into the lap of the Russian Empire. In 1991, after the fall of communism and the independence of Georgia, Adjara seceded. Until 2004, the “independent” Republic is ruled by a dictator, a Muslim, Aslan Abashidze, now on the run. Since then Adjara (400,000) has returned to the bosom of Georgia. According to official documents, in 1991, 75% of Adjarians were Muslims. They are now 75% Orthodox. How can this mass conversion be explained? In a long interview published in December 2012, Metropolitan Dimitri of Batumi (the capital of Adjara), also nephew of Ilia II, Patriarch of Georgia, says he was appointed parish priest of St. Nicholas in Batumi in 1986. At that time, there was only one Orthodox church in Batumi.
“It is God’s will”
Dimitri states that “the metamorphosis of an entire region, the conversion from Islam to Orthodoxy, or rather the return to basics, to the faith of their ancestors,” took place before his eyes. On 13 May 1991 “5000 Muslims and atheists became Orthodox. The same year the Church opened a school in Khulo, an ecclesiastical high school named Saint Andrew, the first religious high school in the USSR.” The Metropolitan of Batumi says that Adjarians were forcibly converted to Islam by the Ottomans though, in fact, they remained Christian at heart. According to his statement, they continued to secretly wear a cross, they painted Easter eggs, and they retained the icons in their homes. Dimitri says that many priests come from Muslim families. The rector of the seminary is the grandson of a mullah, formed in Istanbul. How does he explain the conversions brought forward on the website Provoslavie i mir (Orthodoxy and the World): “It is God’s will. It is a miracle of God, for unexplained reasons that could not have been predicted,” says Dimitri.
Missionaries from Turkey
The Great Mosque of Batumi is a few blocks from the Church of Saint Nicholas, near the port. First observation: it is actually a lot less crowded than the Orthodox place of worship. Nevertheless, some local publications were denouncing a “return to Islam supported by Turkey.” But during our stay in Adjara, we have not seen this “Islamic Turkish fairly consistent presence” due to “the influx of missionaries,” including disciples of the Turkish preacher Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan. The Sarpi border crossing with Turkey is only twenty kilometers from Batumi. If the capital of Adjara became overwhelmingly Christian, however, the small villages in the mountains of Adjara have not denied the Prophet. The village of Khulo, more than two hours away from the Black Sea, has a mosque and a madrasa. Some seniors continue to speak Turkish to us, but we cannot verify it.
A national state and Orthodox
For the visitor from the outside, the two religions appear to coexist smoothly. The Adjarians tell you without hesitation directions to the church or the nearest mosque. Nobody mentioned any persecution vis-à-vis minority religions. However, these mass conversions remain taboo. Especially as the other Muslims of Georgia (about 10% of the population) do not seem to adopt Orthodoxy as quickly. Including Kistins, ethnic Chechens near the border with Chechnya and Dagestan, and Shiites in eastern Georgia, neighboring Azerbaijan. “We must understand that the Orthodox Church is a fundamental pillar of our national identity. In the past, we have been invaded by all our great neighbors, the Persians, the Ottomans, the Russians. If there had not been the cement of religion, there would be even more people of Georgia,” said Alina Okkropiridze, former journalist and translator. After seventy years of state atheism, at the time of the USSR, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the first Georgian president, wanted to create a “national and Orthodox” state. His successor, Eduard Shevardnadze, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, took care “to announce his conversion to Orthodoxy, to be baptized and to choose as his spiritual director Patriarch Ilia II, the head of the Georgian Church since 1977,” says the Swiss website Religioscope.
Dismantling of a minaret
Clearly, over the last two decades, the powers, the media, and nationalist parties have been saying that a true Georgian Orthodoxy must be foremost. Is it enough to explain, as stated by Metropolitan Dimitri, “the return to the faith of their ancestors” of the Adjarians? At the end of August, in the district of Adiguéni, in southwest Georgia, the authorities dismantled a minaret on the grounds that customs duties were not paid for construction materials. Muslims who opposed the destruction of the building were arrested. “An ‘Orthodox’ way to do that is to aim for the exile of the Muslim people,” complains one local site in an article titled “Georgia: the minaret of discord.” Translated by John Sanidopoulos. (As my French is limited, any corrections in the translation of this article is welcomed.)

[Premium Parrots]

A Mysterious Mass Conversion From Islam to Orthodox Christianity in Georgia
http://theorthodoxchurch.info ^ |

In 1991, 75% of Adjarians in Georgia were Muslims. Today, they have become 75% Orthodox Christians. How can these conversions be explained, which is apparently unique in the world? “What time do services begin at Saint Nicholas in Batumi on Sunday morning?” The question embarrasses the employee of the President Plaza, one of the largest institutions in the city, a seat of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara and the Iranian consulate. It is true that in the province of Georgia, washed by the Black Sea, the population speaks little English. All signs, such as signs in the streets, are in Georgian or Russian. The employee eventually suggests joining the Church of Saint Nicholas at 9:00 AM. In fact, the Service works strangely like a self-service. The faithful men, women (head always covered) and children come and go as they please, after long embracing of the icons and after they have crossed themselves multiple times. This curious to and fro takes most of the morning. The priest can hardly talk to us, since he speaks only Russian and Georgian. A student, smiling, who graduated in the language of Shakespeare, came to our rescue. We ask him the question: “How is it that the majority of the inhabitants of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara in Georgia, have in two decades abandoned Islam for Orthodoxy?” The girl apologizes, caught unaware, and prefers to dodge quickly.
Ottoman and Russian province
But the facts are there, Adjara, conquered by the Ottomans in the seventeenth century, was overwhelmingly Muslim. In 1878, this province of 3000 km2 falls into the lap of the Russian Empire. In 1991, after the fall of communism and the independence of Georgia, Adjara seceded. Until 2004, the “independent” Republic is ruled by a dictator, a Muslim, Aslan Abashidze, now on the run. Since then Adjara (400,000) has returned to the bosom of Georgia. According to official documents, in 1991, 75% of Adjarians were Muslims. They are now 75% Orthodox. How can this mass conversion be explained? In a long interview published in December 2012, Metropolitan Dimitri of Batumi (the capital of Adjara), also nephew of Ilia II, Patriarch of Georgia, says he was appointed parish priest of St. Nicholas in Batumi in 1986. At that time, there was only one Orthodox church in Batumi.
“It is God’s will”
Dimitri states that “the metamorphosis of an entire region, the conversion from Islam to Orthodoxy, or rather the return to basics, to the faith of their ancestors,” took place before his eyes. On 13 May 1991 “5000 Muslims and atheists became Orthodox. The same year the Church opened a school in Khulo, an ecclesiastical high school named Saint Andrew, the first religious high school in the USSR.” The Metropolitan of Batumi says that Adjarians were forcibly converted to Islam by the Ottomans though, in fact, they remained Christian at heart. According to his statement, they continued to secretly wear a cross, they painted Easter eggs, and they retained the icons in their homes. Dimitri says that many priests come from Muslim families. The rector of the seminary is the grandson of a mullah, formed in Istanbul. How does he explain the conversions brought forward on the website Provoslavie i mir (Orthodoxy and the World): “It is God’s will. It is a miracle of God, for unexplained reasons that could not have been predicted,” says Dimitri.
Missionaries from Turkey
The Great Mosque of Batumi is a few blocks from the Church of Saint Nicholas, near the port. First observation: it is actually a lot less crowded than the Orthodox place of worship. Nevertheless, some local publications were denouncing a “return to Islam supported by Turkey.” But during our stay in Adjara, we have not seen this “Islamic Turkish fairly consistent presence” due to “the influx of missionaries,” including disciples of the Turkish preacher Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan. The Sarpi border crossing with Turkey is only twenty kilometers from Batumi. If the capital of Adjara became overwhelmingly Christian, however, the small villages in the mountains of Adjara have not denied the Prophet. The village of Khulo, more than two hours away from the Black Sea, has a mosque and a madrasa. Some seniors continue to speak Turkish to us, but we cannot verify it.
A national state and Orthodox
For the visitor from the outside, the two religions appear to coexist smoothly. The Adjarians tell you without hesitation directions to the church or the nearest mosque. Nobody mentioned any persecution vis-à-vis minority religions. However, these mass conversions remain taboo. Especially as the other Muslims of Georgia (about 10% of the population) do not seem to adopt Orthodoxy as quickly. Including Kistins, ethnic Chechens near the border with Chechnya and Dagestan, and Shiites in eastern Georgia, neighboring Azerbaijan. “We must understand that the Orthodox Church is a fundamental pillar of our national identity. In the past, we have been invaded by all our great neighbors, the Persians, the Ottomans, the Russians. If there had not been the cement of religion, there would be even more people of Georgia,” said Alina Okkropiridze, former journalist and translator. After seventy years of state atheism, at the time of the USSR, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the first Georgian president, wanted to create a “national and Orthodox” state. His successor, Eduard Shevardnadze, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, took care “to announce his conversion to Orthodoxy, to be baptized and to choose as his spiritual director Patriarch Ilia II, the head of the Georgian Church since 1977,” says the Swiss website Religioscope.
Dismantling of a minaret
Clearly, over the last two decades, the powers, the media, and nationalist parties have been saying that a true Georgian Orthodoxy must be foremost. Is it enough to explain, as stated by Metropolitan Dimitri, “the return to the faith of their ancestors” of the Adjarians? At the end of August, in the district of Adiguéni, in southwest Georgia, the authorities dismantled a minaret on the grounds that customs duties were not paid for construction materials. Muslims who opposed the destruction of the building were arrested. “An ‘Orthodox’ way to do that is to aim for the exile of the Muslim people,” complains one local site in an article titled “Georgia: the minaret of discord.” Translated by John Sanidopoulos. (As my French is limited, any corrections in the translation of this article is welcomed.)

dam.....and I thought there were mostly Baptists in Georgia.