Expert: Noise, blasphemy,  preaching hatred and intolerance have no  connection, and cannot be associated with faith and spirituality

ArmInfo.  Tatevik Hayrapetyan, expert on Azerbaijani studies,  expresses gratitude to all clergy who prioritize the Armenian Church and faith above  themselves, who can restrain their anger, avoid confrontation, and  prevent  the church from becoming a place of blasphemy and insult.

On her Facebook page, the expert emphasized that, despite their  completely justified anger, these people prove through their behavior  that they love the Armenian Church and serve God, even they may have  many sins to their credit. "Like any person, they still recognize  that today they are defenders of the Armenian Apostolic Church and  our faith, and they endure this difficult trial as calmly and with as  much restraint as possible. Those who truly understand know that this  is what it means to be a Christian. And noise, blasphemy, and  preaching hatred and intolerance have no and cannot have any relation  to faith and spirituality, especially not to Christianity, for God is  love," Hayrapetyan wrote.

She added that spirituality and faith in general are very personal  phenomena. "I am a believing Christian; it's not only a part of my  identity but also my conscious choice. I've felt and seen the divine  in many situations. However, this is very personal; there's no need  to prove it to anyone; everyone experiences it in their own way and  goes through it. At the same time, if a person is a bearer of  spirituality, regardless of their political preferences, views, and  approaches, when they go to church, they typically go there to purify  themselves, to unburden their soul. For this, they may not even need  a priest," Tatevik Hayrapetyan notes.

Additionally, the expert continued, when a person tries to appear  spiritual but allows the church to become a bone of contention, a  place of blasphemy and insult, then, to put it mildly, it has nothing  to do with their spirituality. "The events surrounding the  Hovhannavank Church reminded me of the well-known parable of Solomon  the Wise and the two mothers. When someone is willing to make  concessions out of love, as long as they don't harm the one they  love, and someone who is uncompromising, willing to make blasphemy,  insults, and unworthy, outrageous behavior the norm of church life,  they are far from loving Christ. This is obvious even to the naked  eye," the expert stated.