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Mount Athos, the “Autonomous Monastic State” of Greece (2016)

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Re: Mount Athos, the “Autonomous Monastic State” of Greece (2016)

#91

Post by throwaway_se099 »

anonu wrote: post #69

There's a good 60 Minutes segment on this from a few years back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mXl8C4-M_4 I also believe you have to follow the Greek Orthodox religion to be able to visit - they might make some rare exceptions. (might be wrong)

> I also believe you have to follow the Greek Orthodox religion to be able to visit - they might make some rare exceptions.

You need a permit (effectively, a visa) to enter the peninsula, and there is a daily quota. About a tenth of available permits can be issued to non-Orthodox visitors. They don't single out the Greek church from other Orthodox churches (AFAIK).

[I researched the entry requirements a couple of years ago out of curiosity, but never tried to actually visit. Something may have changed in the meantime, but somehow I doubt it :)]

Re: Mount Athos, the “Autonomous Monastic State” of Greece (2016)

#92

Post by srcreigh »

anonu wrote: post #69

There's a good 60 Minutes segment on this from a few years back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mXl8C4-M_4 I also believe you have to follow the Greek Orthodox religion to be able to visit - they might make some rare exceptions. (might be wrong)

Greek Orthodox religion is somewhat of a misnomer. There are other Eastern Orthodox churches which are in communion with the church in Greece. The religion is Eastern Orthodox, Greek is a language/hierarchy within orthodoxy.

Also, I'm reading a book about Mt Athos now, it was mentioned that a tourist was on the island. That must have taken place ~100 years ago, mind you.

Re: Mount Athos, the “Autonomous Monastic State” of Greece (2016)

#93

Post by cblconfederate »

NKosmatos wrote: post #77

One of the bad aspects of religions are such restrictions that have no base whatsoever. If we omit this anachronism, Agion Oros, as it's commonly called in Greece, is a nice place to visit (Christian men only) with an unspoiled environment and peaceful way of living. It's common for many Greeks to visit at least once this special place (something like Hajj/Hadji), but in recent times this has been declining. There ar…

> have no base whatsoever

Gender segregated monasteries have existed since foreveer. Mt Athos is like one giant monastery in that sense. For religious people there is a base for gender segregation.

Re: Mount Athos, the “Autonomous Monastic State” of Greece (2016)

#94

Post by elorant »

anonu wrote: post #69

There's a good 60 Minutes segment on this from a few years back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mXl8C4-M_4 I also believe you have to follow the Greek Orthodox religion to be able to visit - they might make some rare exceptions. (might be wrong)

No, that's not correct. People from other religions are allowed. It's just that there's a daily limit to the amount of people who can enter the region and the analogy is like 10:1 orthodox/non-orthodox. I think it's like 120 people in total, or something like that.

Re: Mount Athos, the “Autonomous Monastic State” of Greece (2016)

#95

Post by agurk »

mschuster91 wrote: post #79
tut-urut-utut wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While we are at curiosities, I'd like explanation (please without googling) as to why Octoberfest in Munich, Germany always begins in September?

As someone born and raised in Munich, I'll answer that question without Googling ;) The Oktoberfest is named for the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese in October 1810 and happened in October, until in 1872 it was decided to move the begin a couple weeks earlier, because in Munich the October weather is often very cold and rain-plagued.

Also without googling - but I've only lived in Munich not born there :)

Historically the event had a focus on horse racing (and did have a race until 1960). I've heard one of the reasons to move it back was also that the meadows were better for racing in when dry and more likely to be so in September.

Re: Mount Athos, the “Autonomous Monastic State” of Greece (2016)

#96

Post by [deleted] »

JKolios wrote: post #75
anonu wrote: post #69

There's a good 60 Minutes segment on this from a few years back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mXl8C4-M_4 I also believe you have to follow the Greek Orthodox religion to be able to visit - they might make some rare exceptions. (might be wrong)

I personally know a Catholic who had no trouble getting a permit to visit, so I don't think that's true.

[deleted]

Re: Mount Athos, the “Autonomous Monastic State” of Greece (2016)

#97

Post by martythemaniak »

Mizza wrote: post #41
the_only_law wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who is stopping them again?

I am an atheist. I still want to monk. I want to monk in my own way, which would probably be growing vegetables, keeping chickens, and making open source software. I don't see how that's possible given the way society is currently organized - it requires periods of time spent to commercial toil, in order to pay landlords, taxes, etc.

I think you're underestimating the extent to which monasteries are commercial, and have been for many many centuries. You don't go there to chill, you go there to work hard and earn money for the monastery. In past times, they were helped along because they were given a monopoly over certain economic activities. Getting a job at a sclerotic state-owned enterprise is probably the closest equivalent today.

Re: Mount Athos, the “Autonomous Monastic State” of Greece (2016)

#98

Post by dr_dshiv »

ModernMech wrote: post #61
math_denial wrote: post #7

I often yearn for the "unearthly quiet" and structure of a monastic life. I am not religious but I just feel as if I don't belong in society: I don't care about work, jobs, careers, riches, fame. I would like a life of study, contemplation and silence.

If you don’t care about careers, riches, and fame, and want to engage in a decade or more of quiet contemplation, then join a Ph.D. program. You will be very poor and exist apart from society, where you are neither student nor employee. You can study as much as you want!

Both the PhD experience and the monastic experience have a common root in the 6th century BC Pythagorean communities in southern Italy.

Re: Mount Athos, the “Autonomous Monastic State” of Greece (2016)

#99

Post by zajio1am »

joelmichael wrote: post #60
necovek wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds irrelevant instead, and whoever wrote the article, is obviously being a bit too playful with words. Of course it's not "two weeks ago there", it's just that the date is different: it's as if you tried to use a different calendar system altogether — it's fine, you just need to convert back and forth. FWIW, a bunch of churches (Russian, Serbian, Romanian Orthodox churches) still respect the Julian calendar to…

Being better aligned with astronomical events makes it more correct. The purpose of the calendar is to map the year, the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. The drift in the Julian calendar was not intended. It is a flaw.

I would say that the purpose of the calendar is tracking time/days in general. Astronomical events are just used as a tool to do that. Earlier calendars were lunar-based instead of solar-based, as keeping synchronized with moon is easier.

Re: Mount Athos, the “Autonomous Monastic State” of Greece (2016)

#100

Post by prometheus76 »

Mizza wrote: post #41
the_only_law wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who is stopping them again?

I am an atheist. I still want to monk. I want to monk in my own way, which would probably be growing vegetables, keeping chickens, and making open source software. I don't see how that's possible given the way society is currently organized - it requires periods of time spent to commercial toil, in order to pay landlords, taxes, etc.

Monks work for their living. They make soaps, candles, bread, icons, prayer ropes, translations of holy books, etc. There are cooks, and they rebuild/repair the buildings. Their work is generally more "local", but one of the ways the monasteries survive is by selling their goods to the outer world.

The main reason for being a monk is to crucify one's ego each day in obedience to one's spiritual father and more importantly, to God. "I want to monk my own way" completely undermines the whole way of life of a monk.

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