Originally posted as a Facebook comment. Published with the author’s permission. Anonymous to protect the young person in the story.

Now imagine that you’re a 9 yr old CHILD trying to figure out what it is about yourself that seems a little different; and the priest you love, as you would love a family member, goes on a homosexual rant for an entire sermon that summer during Liturgy.

Then, it happens again when you are 12 yrs old. Except now you know for sure that the sermon is about people “like you.” And, it is the first time that you think about killing yourself.
Read More

Editor’s Note: Even though IOCC remains strictly apolitical and nonpartisan in its messaging—and rightly so—Orthodoxy in Dialogue has no hesitation in condemning the White House’s green-lighting of Turkey to escalate the violence in Syria by clearing the way to attack our Kurdish allies.

Keep reading to learn how you can help.

Please share this post widely. 

International Orthodox Christian Charities Launches Campaign for
Children’s Programs in Syria
Dream Centers offer Children, Families Safe Spaces, Support Overcoming Trauma 

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is launching a new fundraising campaign, aiming to raise $250,000 for programming that supports children and families who have survived trauma and tragedy in Syria. Read More

If you post a paper of interest to a mainly Orthodox audience on academia.edu, Orthodoxy in Dialogue may help draw new readers to your work.

You need not be Orthodox to participate so long as your paper has significant relevance to Orthodox Christianity.

Of course, your paper need not agree with anything that Orthodoxy in Dialogue has already published. Read More

The New Atheism, Myth, and History: The Black Legends of Contemporary Anti-Religion
Nathan Johnstone
Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018

My interest in Nathan Johnstone’s book comes from my lifelong experience of a diversity of religious thought. I was born and raised in Indonesia, a majority Islamic nation. My global studies and travels have exposed me to a plethora of philosophies, beliefs, and arguments. Having nearly become an atheist myself in my early 20s, and having read many of the New Atheist publications as well as the writings of their detractors, I consider myself  well versed in the arguments of both sides. I enjoy and respect my discussions with atheists.

The self-described “New Atheist” movement began arguably in 2004 with the publication of The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris. This was the first book to be associated with New Atheists, although the term “New Atheist” itself was not born until 2006. Since then there have been a plethora of books, articles, and other media posts written by atheists in support of the new atheism and by theists criticising and countering the moment.

Nathan Johnstone may not be the first author to join in the fray, but his book is the first to approach the issue from a historical perspective as opposed to a philosophical or theological  perspective. What is distinctive about this book and its author’s approach is that he is not arguing for or against atheism or theism. In fact, the author freely criticises both atheist and theist arguments where he deems it necessary.  Read More