Orthodox priests from all over the world, in the strongest composition, like what used to be the "World Team", recently came to Montenegro, to tell us there, in our house, that we never had our own state and our own church. Because, if someone tells you that the Constitution of your country is fake, then it is understood that they are telling you that your country is just like that - fake. (The Constitution is one of the main features of statehood, the highest state legal act, and our Constitution from 1905 states that the Montenegrin Orthodox Church is autocephalous). This, in the middle of Podgorica, in someone else's fortification on our territory, which was built "primarily with our means" - as M. Mugoša says, was announced by none other than the supreme head of the Orthodox universe, Bartholomew. And he wouldn't want anyone to tell him on the spot that he wasn't telling the truth. And the "Montenegrin entourage" was there together, headed by the president of the country.
By the way, the priests' meeting in Podgorica, which its organizers "baptize" as the most significant event in the history of Montenegro, thus showing how much they know about Montenegro, or, even worse, how much they value it, resembled in many ways the Middle Ages live. Nevertheless, many practical achievements of science and technology were used, which today would be at a much higher level if the church, through many centuries of its undisputed rule, had not restrained them. They even killed people, who tried to spread the darkness created for the purpose of easier subjugation of uneducated and poor people. At that time, the church was not separated from the state, but in the function of preserving the power of evil rulers. Today is no different.
The new Podgorica temple of the Serbian Orthodox Church is a very expensive construction project, and together with fresco painting and other interior and exterior furnishing and decoration, it must have cost much more than the disclosed amount. However, let it be only as much as reported, it is not even close to the objective capabilities of those who built it. And how many and what kind of places of worship were built in Montenegro in the last 20 years? I am sure that even before that there was no person in Montenegro, regardless of religion, who was unable to pray to God due to the lack of 'temple capacity'.
Montenegro is like any neglected field. She needs a hoe more than a prayer. And whoever loves, let him take the hoe with a prayer. "There is no bread without a hoe". After all, everyone from my generation, and the older ones, well remember that God helped Montenegro the most in those 45 years when we prayed to him the least.
The genius Tolstoy, who was neither a communist nor an anarchist, but sincerely believed in God, in his famous address to the Synod of the Orthodox Church (Moscow, April 4, 1901) says: "Common prayer in temples was directly forbidden by Christ" and quotes The Gospel according to Matthew: "And when you pray to God, do not be like the hypocrites who gladly stand in synagogues and at crossroads on the streets and pray to be seen by people." In the same answer to the Synod, Tolstoy says: "In the periodic forgiveness of sins, I see a harmful deception in confessions, which only encourages sin and destroys the fear of sinning".
Baudelaire, in "Flowers of Evil", was even more succinct: "You sin persistently, and you repent meanly".
As we know, neither Tolstoy nor Baudelaire were favorites of the church. I think you understand why.
But let's get a little closer by quoting Dositej (Dimitrije) Obradović, a Serb from the neighborhood, and his work "Life and connectedness" published 230 years ago: "And if I had such power, I would convert all these monasteries of ours into schools and colleges." . These are the words with which Abbot Teodor Milutinović advised the young Dositej before he (Dositej) left the Hopovo monastery. Dositej obeyed the abbot, became a great Serbian educator, minister, and then the founder of the Great School (University) in Belgrade and entrusted the Serbian people with good for the ages. And the abbot was 'removed from the abbotship' and moved to another monastery.
By the way, among the most important founders of the Temple in Toliši, there is also one whom I met about 20 years ago, but he was not "full of money" then. He must have prayed to God a lot in the meantime, or he regrets something. Or both. And Christ's teaching is: When you give alms, don't blow the trumpet under your breath... "So that your almsgiving will be a secret". Who reads more and who needs the Gospels? Fraudsters need them to distort their content and thus "embed" their poison in them, in order to deceive ignorant people.
As it seems to me, the Temple was built, for the most part, by Tito's former communists and Tito's pioneers. Did they cheat then or now? Or, then and now? That's how Tito, in what used to be "his" city, ended up on the wall for public mockery, which is the public shame of those who did it and those who allowed it. Tito will not be smaller because of that, but we are showing our measure. We are small change!
In Tito's "society" there are Marx, Engels and Ranko on the shameful wall. And there is no Lenin and Stalin, Tito's teachers. I can also guess why. Tito no longer has anyone to defend, and Marx had no money even when he was alive, but others (Engels) supported his large family. And the Russians do not allow their people, neither Lenin nor Stalin, to be smeared by white world trifles. But the Russians give money and crosses, so they should not be blamed. Pure calculation.
Unfortunately, the temple built in Tološi by Montenegrin citizens is the smallest Church of Christ's Resurrection. With it, we try to resurrect the worst in us - confusion and discord. We have shown our talent for this countless times. History neither teaches nor warns us.
And the walls in the Tolo temple are best covered with wallpaper, on which we would "paint" characters according to the current moment. Since we are a very "changeable" people, for whom the only God is the government, which is the government at that moment, if this government is ever replaced, it will be cheaper for us to replace the wallpaper than the frescoes.
Everything is a calculation! Is that right, Pharisees?
Bonus video:
