The Flames of War and the Burning Bush of Prayer: A Spiritual Response to the Problem of War

Abstract

This paper attempts to give a spiritual answer to the problem of War from the perspective of Orthodox theology. The Second World War constitutes a representative historical example for understanding the phenomenon of war. As in the case of other countries from the Eastern European space, the effects of the Second World War were felt in the Romanian space until the fall of the communist regime installed by the Soviet occupier. According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church the primordial roots of war are of spiritual nature and a solution, a real cure, can be offered only on this level. The contemporary Romanian spiritual movement ‘The Burning Bush of the Mother of God’ represents an ecclesiastical movement that has faced the War and its effects in the Romanian space through the spiritual therapy provided by the Church.