paganism Archives — Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

The Martyrs’ Blood Against the Demon Hordes: A Reflection on the Akolouthia of the Three Martyrs of Vilnius

April 14, 2022April 13, 2022 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

The Scriptures and all the liturgical services of the Orthodox Church include the theme of spiritual warfare, but it is particularly prominent in the liturgical services for the martyred saints.

Arise, O God! Great and Holy Saturday

May 1, 2021May 1, 2021 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Why put these resurrectional themes into a psalm about judging the gods, about putting the fallen angels in their place and working justice upon them? It is because the whole cosmic narrative of the Scripture is about the war begun by these fallen ones against God.

Myth, Mythology, Fakelore and Whether Fairies Exist

January 25, 2021January 22, 2021 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Reading Tolkien as well as mythology and folklore can help us to re-enchant the world and thus engage more fully with the unseen world as it truly is.

Don’t Feed Yourself to the Water Dragons

January 8, 2020 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Let’s not feed ourselves to the water dragons. Let’s enter with Jesus into the waters to crush the heads of the dragons who lurk there.

Exorcism is Central to the Gospel

December 11, 2019 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

This world has many dimensions that we do not see. And they would be frightening if the Lord opened our eyes fully to their reality.

Why Orthodox Christians Can Love Tolkien and Other Imaginative Fiction

August 3, 2019April 5, 2021 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

I am a lifelong Tolkien fan, but now that I have a Tolkien podcast, I've found more time to explore how my love for Tolkien fits into my spiritual life as an Orthodox Christian. And it turns out that there is actually a specifically Orthodox Christian reason to love Tolkien and other works of imaginative fiction.

St Columba and the Water of Artbranan

June 11, 2019 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

When Christ comes into the world to save the world, He does so not to erase everything that is present but rather to save and to magnify whatever is good.

No, Christmas is Not Pagan. Just Stop.

December 5, 2018November 30, 2019 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Well, it’s time for a good Christmas rant. This requires a rant, because every year, we see the same ignorant silliness. (Sorry, but it’s just true.) Supposedly, Christmas is secretly pagan, secretly syncretist, secretly a co-opting of pagan stuff and ignorantly claiming it to be Christian. But the truth about these things is so available that it’s literally staring out at you even from…