Talk:Demetrius of Thessaloniki

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this article should be reviewed for its content and "Merged" INTO the article: http://orthodoxwiki.org/Demetrius_the_Myrrhgusher

I think that titles of Saint should reflect the way that Sinaxaria normally categorise the Saints. Usually they will refer to the Saint from what town they are from and then any pet names ... for example, rather than St Demetrios the Myrrhgusher ... it would be Saint Demetrios of Thessalonike the Myrrhgusher.

Vicki 22:19, January 14, 2008 (PST)

Different synaxaria render saints' names differently. OrthodoxWiki's standard has been to use the most common referent, rather than exclusively by one particular synaxarion's usage.
Based on some Googling, Demetrius of Thessaloniki (sic) seems to be the most common rendering. Once the merger is complete, this article should be moved to that name, and a redirect from Demetrius the Myrrhgusher should be directed there. —Fr. Andrew talk contribs 10:46, January 17, 2008 (PST)

"CULT"

Hi, I apologise for removing this word before discussing it. It was really bothering me for the following reason. Cult is a word that is used as negative ... from what I can read, we are supposed to remain neutral when presenting factual information. So, if a group of followers formed sometime during the 6th century, then we can not label it a cult or otherwise since in an encyclopedic context we can not imply if their objectives for following the saint are a negative or positive. Vicki 22:19, January 14, 2008 (PST)

Cult (often rendered as cultus) is a technical term used in traditional religious studies to refer to the spread of veneration of a saint. It does not refer in any sense to the saint having "followers." This meaning derives from the older meaning which refers to the totality of religious practice of a particular religious community.
This meaning has nothing to do with the popular use of cult to mean "weird religious group" or the religious sociological usage which refers to a religious group which has a negative relationship with the surrounding society yet does not see itself as having exclusive legitimacy. —Fr. Andrew talk contribs 05:20, January 15, 2008 (PST)