In the framework of the “Church and Law” interview series, Iravaban.net has spoken with Ter Tovma Andreasyan, the trustee of the Holy Mother of God Church in Nork-Marash, on the topic of “The role, challenges and prospects of the Armenian Apostolic Church in modern Armenia.”
– How would you describe the role of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church in modern Armenia and its influence on the everyday life of the Armenian people?
The Armenian Apostolic Church is actively fighting to preserve the moral and spiritual traditions in our people. The form of education that has traditionally been passed down to us, which educates and makes a person Armenian, everything to preserve all this. Over the past five years, the church’s struggle has become more active, because such challenges have emerged that the church simply could not remain silent and step aside, and the most important thing for the church is the salvation of the human soul. Essentially, the church is called for this, for the salvation of the soul, for preaching the heavenly kingdom, if the soul deviates from the right development, it naturally will not enter the heavenly kingdom, and naturally the church is fighting against this. The Armenian Apostolic Church has been more active in recent years, has intensified its activities, and now we are closely following all the processes taking place in our world.
– You spoke about the struggle for the salvation of the homeland. What mechanisms does the church have in this struggle?
Well, the fact that the church is speaking out about this is already important. We preach that the homeland is not just a land that we are defending, the homeland is a sacred place, it is here that the Adamic paradise has been. We have the “Throne of the Lamb” – Etchmiadzin, this is not an ordinary place, there is no church in the world called “Etchmiadzin”, a place where the Only-Begotten has descended. Not to fight for the homeland means not to fight for the sacred place, and this will not be forgiven by God. Our territory is a church in itself, our territory is the house of God, and to abandon it, not to care about it and not to protect it, this is already a sin before God and for this we will all be held accountable. We must live in our homeland, we must defend our homeland and live in that homeland. We must educate our children, as our teachers have educated them over the centuries.
– Finally, what or what should the Armenian people unite around?
The Armenian people must unite for the defense of the homeland. The Armenian people must unite to defend the church.
– Does the church need protection today?
Definitely, of course it needs protection. The heroes, the martyrs bypass hell. This is the word of the fathers of the church. The martyrs bypass the judgment that awaits after death. Man must stop thinking about death. The Armenian person must stop eating, drinking, and enjoying, but now we are only living with this. It is a terrible picture, terrible. This people must remember its standards again. They don’t read the historians, they have to read, see what was important for a person at that time.
– In your opinion, is the Armenian people currently more on the path of seeking God, knowing God, or moving away from God? How has the spiritual life of the modern Armenian changed?
All of humanity is moving away from God. We live in the times of the Last Judgment, and as Christ says, when the Son of God returns, will there be faith in this world? Christians are decreasing year by year, because technologies are preventing, science gives a person such possibilities to live in this world that the need for God a person has less and less over the years. Those who come to the liturgy need God, seek God.
– How attractive is the Armenian Church for the youth, and what programs is it implementing to engage them?
Well, if the people are decreasing, the youth are also gradually decreasing. They are busy with other important things. How to get an education, how to have a place in this world. And, naturally, to take advantage of the different pleasures of this world. We have youth unions, I am the responsible person of the youth union of our church. For example, we organize pilgrimages, various events, we have restored intellectual games. The library is created for them, I make them read.
