http://www.highlandnews.net/articles/2011/07/28/entertainment/doc4e31f3dae4b26020351217.txt
Words to think about: Armenian history, contributions to American society often overlooked, but deserving of attention
By G.W. Abersold Ph.D
Published: Thursday, July 28, 2011 5:27 PM PDT
The history of the Armenians is worthy of our interest and study.
I became very interested in them and their history a few years ago when I wrote an article about Chuck Demirjyn.
He loved his family, the USA, his faith and Redlands. He was a school teacher for 30 years, a city councilman for 28 years and mayor for eight years. He loved fishing, music (an excellent musician) and hated the Turks with a passion.
The word “genocide” was first used by Rafael Lemkin in 1943. He identified it with the destruction of an ethnic group, the Armenians by the Turks (1915-1917), and the Jews by Hitler (World War II). One million 500 thousand Armenians and six to eight million Jews.
Also, the 19 million Mexican Indians slaughtered by Cortes and disease (between 1522 and 1600), and the murder of thousands of Native Americans by the French and British (1620-1820).
The history of Armenians has been and is an illustrious one. In spite of this, the United States is one of the few countries that has NOT acknowledged the fact of Armenian genocide. Mainly because of its closeness with Turkey.
Turkey has continually denied that genocide ever happened. However, the facts are undeniable. The families of the men, women and children and unbiased historians have accurately recorded the genocide by the Turks.
Armenia is a territory with a land area of 11,506 square miles. It has a population of 2,966,802. For many years it was a part of the USSR, but on Sept. 23, 1991 Armenia proclaimed its independence.
It is a land-locked country, surrounded by Iran, Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan.
The first Armenian to arrive in California was Ruben Minasian. He settled in Fresno. The largest concentration of Armenians is in Glendale with about 55,000 residents.
On Oct. 6, 2000, Hollywood was named “Little Armenia.” There are over one million in the USA.
Perhaps the best way to grasp the influence of Armenians is to realize their impact on our culture: Richard Deukmejian, former Governor of California; Andre Agassi, tennis player; Cher, famous singer/actress; Mike Connors (Obanian) actor; William Saroyan, writer; Garry Kasporov, world chess champion; and Dr. Jack Kevorkian, physician. To name only a few.
Traces of Armenian settlements go back to about 6000 BCE. It was originally called the “Kingdom of Urartii”, referred to in the Bible as Ararat. (The resting place of Noah’s Ark.) It has been populated since the Stone Age.
Its history has been turbulent. It has been dominated by Persia, Rome, Byzantium, Greece and invaded by the Turks, Seljuks, Mongols and Tartars. It has been ruled by the Ottomans, and the Russians.
Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 A.D. In 313 A.D., 12 years later, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, making it the dominant religion of the Roman Empire.
According to tradition the Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus preached in Armenia and died there. The great apostle of Armenia was Saint Gregory the Illuminator (257-337).
The early centuries of Armenian Christianity were filled with trauma. The Church was called then and still is, The Armenian Apostolic Church. It is one of the Ancient Eastern Orthodox Churches. Today there are about ten million members worldwide.
Ten percent of Armenians (at home and abroad) are affiliated with Roman Catholics and Protestants.
I have been in communication with Father Shnork Demirjean, the leader of St. Peter’s Armenian Apostolic Church in Van Nuys. He informs me there are 200 churches and parishes in the USA and more than a thousand over the world.
They believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, which in Armenian means “the Breath of God.”
Members also believe in the Sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion, Chrismation, Ordination, Penance, Holy Matrimony, the Rites/healing. They also believe in salvation through faith in Christ, total immersion and infant baptism.
They support the decisions of the first three Ecumenical Councils (325 A.D., 381 A.D., 431 A.D.) The basic issue dealt with Jesus as equal with God and subservient to Him.
The Armenian Church is ancient and yet modern. It remains a dynamic force on the world stage.
Amen. Selah. So be it.
Temple of Garni
