Author: Rev. prof. Dumitru Stăniloae (Member of the Romanian Academy)
Keywords: Church, State, community, communion, individualism, organicity, city, village
Abstract:
A 20 years old article of father Dumitru Stăniloae proves its factuality even today, the more so as, for some time, a part of the press and the “elites” ascribe to Romanians some undeserved blames or some abnormal behaviour as: lack of unity, cowardice, corruption and so on. Thus, Romanians are bid to envy as much as they can the Western social and moral values, thought of as being the only ones that can bring success on all levels. The “success” of the Western values had one single price: the destruction of the Holy Tradition with its values, or the despiritualization of society. The success of the spiritual values in Eastern countries had in its turn its price: the minimization of the materialistic philosophies and “values”, or the pursue for the eternal wellness on this earth. Father Dumitru Stăniloae analyses the two perspectives, suggesting that the organicity is the key term for the true communion both in the Church, and in society. People cannon truly, efficiently or on the long term unite on exterior means, without any moral values (as in nihilism) or by tolerating all moral values as valid (anarchy).
(Republished from Ramuri I (1990), issue 9, p. 4.)
Pages: 12-19