tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post7047547576965304218..comments2023-10-28T05:02:10.442-04:00Comments on Americans For Bosnia: "Balkan Idols" by Vjekoslav Perica [24]Kirk Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06879908614214050994noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post-82865754203706358012007-11-25T19:00:00.000-05:002007-11-25T19:00:00.000-05:00I don't think that you're right in your comment ab...I don't think that you're right in your comment about "national" saints. There are some specific "national" saints in the UK whose reverence owes something to specifically local issues - for example the English Martyrs are honoured by Catholics for having died rather than renounce their faith in a period of persecution (during the Reformation). But apart from local devotion I wouldn't say that English saints such as Sts Bede, Cuthbert, Alphage, Chad, Herbert, are honoured over Sts Francis of Assisi, Benedict, Catharine of Siena, Francis Xavier, Anthony of Padua, Teresa of Lisieux, - leaving aside the apostles and of course St Patrick is a law unto himself.<BR/><BR/>I can't speak of other countries but I suspect that the phenomenon of intense veneration of local saints (which of course runs counter to the notion of a universal church that the Catholic Church proclaims itself to be) in a country like Croatia, next door to the home country of so many of the saints, is likely to be the reflection of a secular reoccupation with national identity which has found expression in the Perica's ethnoclericalism.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post-86990430130203013682007-11-22T22:39:00.000-05:002007-11-22T22:39:00.000-05:00Quote: "...a multiethnic state where ethnicity has...Quote: "...a multiethnic state where ethnicity has been defined, largely or in part, by religion."<BR/>True. Not going back to Serbia, Croatia and other countries in the region - I will focus on Bosnia only. Up until the mid 19th century, the term Bosniak was used for all inhabitants of Bosnia regardles of faith. In medieval Bosnia, Bosniaks were largely members of an indigenous Bosnian Church and were considered heretics by both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. As a result, some Bosniaks were forced to convert to Caholicism and Eastern Orthodox religions. During the Ottoman period (15th-19th century) mostly heretic Bosniaks in large numbers converted to Islam. During the 19th century (Austro-Hungarian period), the Bosniaks of Catholic and Eastern Orthodox faiths acquired Croatian and Serbian national identites and came to be known as Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Serbs.<BR/><BR/>Quote: "...there can be little doubt that most Muslim clergy at least dreamed of a Muslim state in the western Balkans."<BR/><BR/>Well, I am sure that most Christian clergy also dreamt about Christian state in the western Balkans guided by the principles of the Bible.<BR/><BR/>Quote: "...Croat saints are superior to "foreign" saints just as Serb saints are superior to all 'foreign' saints in the Orthodox faith."<BR/><BR/>That is interesting conclusion, but I thought that's pretty much normal in different societies when it comes to Christianity? Pardon my knowledge of religion - and for the record of fairness - it seems that same principles are applied in other Churches, whether we take a look at Greece, Russia, France, United Kingdom or any other country. It seems that local "saints" are held to a higher standard than foreign saints. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com