Now in 2001, Romania is still bedeviled with an endemic lack and ingrained King-serf class divisions. Enslaved to an obsolete and inefficient economic base, Romania waits like a spectator on history that seems to have redeemed it to no purpose. Miti is not a writer, and has no academic qualifications. Nevertheless, I publish below some edited extracts and fragments of his Letters from Romania.Dave

Big words. Big concepts. I have had enough of them, please believe me. Though I still hear them around - like a lingering echo of all that fake stuff from yesterday - revolutionary pathos that once drove the masses toward a utopic ideal, never attainable. This day, years ago, would be another occasion to hear them......
"Comrades, Hey, all align in rows and silence!
"Today is the first of May when worldwide, workers are celebrating 'Workers Day', a memorable day when the brave American workers, so savagely exploited, fought and obtained the eight hour day" ...... (but at the time of this patriotic yelp I was working 12 compulsory hours)
It was so exhausting and stupid and depressing - marching for hours and hours, holding up big banners heralding to an insensitive, careless and ignorant outside World our righteous cause. Listening to hysterical howlings about the great achievements that had taken place during 'The Golden Epoch' under the wise guidance of the 'most beloved son of the people" ... blah blah .... "that we were so proud to have lived under...."
Yes, wooden language. And when finally, we would get home out of that grotesque circus, longing for a quite evening, all that absurd theatre would be repeated again on our (one channel only) TV and nearly all radio programs too....! Hang on a bit, it's not over yet - For another week the press would be filled with stories of "the event that had large echoes in the international press... our sovereign people had need to know about it".
If it were not so, Comrade Ceausecu would feel persecuted by fate and not by Lucifer. For certain he didn't think there was God, and if there was no God, then there was no Lucifer was there? - Anyway, he wouldn't feel happy if 90% of the home press didn't report at length about his 'historic speech'.
Workers Day huh? - Ceausecu's slaves day for sure it was! The Pharaoh of Scornicest would have at his feet, a whole debased people marching in front of him with portraits.... and there we were, instead of shouting "down the tyrant" we were shouting "long live comrade Nicolae Ceausescu"
In the last years we in the country didn't parade anymore, just those in Bucharest. The rest of us would celebrate 'Workers Day' through work! That would mean we would be working not marching. But not all work, for we were writing letters of congratulation in which we manifested our joy for voluntarily working. (The Party didn't like sad slaves). Praise The Lord that now today instead of going to parade wildly on the streets, I am free to do what I will with my own time .

I will write more these days. The mere act of writing in itself does to me an enormous good. Learning to write well compels me to think correct, let alone that it is in English! 
Well it's light outside. It's a lovely springtime morning!

If you will allow me, I will let you know that communists were highly pudybond-ridden guys who would censure just about everything on the grounds that it could potentially convey the erotic (let alone the other things they would disallow). The prudish censure would cut mercilessly at anything, from an innocent kissing scene in a film, to words in books that might become vulgar or indecent by mispronunciation. - Like the word 'computer' for instance: it's entry into the Romanian dictionary was rejected on the grounds that it comprised of 'put' (computer), which means actually 'to stink' in our language. (They had some fine noses up there!)
The result was that a 'computer' entered into our vocabulary as a 'calculator', which evidently isn't quite the same thing, for the simple reason that a computer does more than calculations, word-processing for example. Sometimes words have their own dramatic life!

Once that paranoiac censorship was gone, the gate to the outside world swung wide-open, and like a huge wave, all of modern civilisation's scourges flooded in, taking us by surprise. It found us unprepared to fight or to defend against it. We didn't, and still don't, have the antidote to immunise our social organism. As a result, the traditional healthy social and family values built over centuries at the school of life and Christianity are in collapse. It gets harder and harder to find anything authentic, natural, common sense even. There is no trustworthy model to follow. No place I know to find anything to be relied upon, except in God's word.

I know that this awful state of facts is transitional and is not specific only to Romania but rather, in varying degrees, to nearly all societies world-wide. Without the sound moral values that we have so easily cast to the dustbin as outdated (replacing them with quick-fix 'modern' pseudo-moral values), I know that our very existence is threatened. In the end we will realise this, and we will pay dear.

As a Christian I cannot see any other solution to salvation for Romania than the return to Bible-based moral values. Jesus' message of love, hope and peace is just as fresh and alive today as for 2000 years it has ever been. For now, this young generation, because of the natural globalisation process, is fully worshipping the 'Golden Calf' and it seems like nothing is going to stop them. 
It is an apparition only. For God has the power to reverse any process (as I witnessed in our country at the revolution and oh!.. what a spectacular change of history's course). In His own time, He will do it.

The Orthodox church in Romania played, for most of time, an ill-fated role in our history. Yet today, they don't miss any opportunity to pose as moral leaders and saviours of our national cultural and spiritual identity.
Along the century the Orthodox Church ruled in a Byzantine style; selling hierarchical positions for purses of gold, so impostors naturally made it to the top. Want salvation? - go to your confessor, no matter the crime - pay and you come out with a brand-new conscience! And if you pay hard, you can have even a ticket to paradise - you can jump the queue!  No matter where your money came from, a fraud or theft or robbery or a bank devaluation, it doesn't matter. God is an old good-hearted man who runs the Universe like a sultan, you don't have to fear him! Forget about repentance, fast or prayers. You pay, and they do it for you.

I meet many who openly behave badly but still believe in God. When I ask them: 'Aren't you afraid at all? - There will be a day of Judgement, and now nobody here on earth can tell you what will be the final verdict - no matter how much you would pay. For the simple reason that Jesus is incorruptible.' They retort: 'You know nothing , I tell you how - go to the confessor at that monastery, there at a cost he will wipe out your sins!'

Here is the result. In this society nobody wants to take responsibility for their deeds. The Pharisees and the scribes our Lord Jesus kindled His wrath against were like novices compared to those I am talking about. Now I hear them talk about how brave they fought to preserve our cultural heritage for 1000 years, but it's just too much for me. All they say is just as true as a three-pound bank note.
Under the dictatorship they often openly supported the oppressive regime, abdicating from the true Christian mission they pretended to have from Jesus: to look after the flock. They betrayed both, the flock and the Lord. They abandoned it at the mercy of Antichrist.

The communists quickly and successfully replaced the Holy Trinity with the Red trinity: The Leader (the father), the party (the son) and the omnipresent Securitate (the spirit). The church obediently accepted this association, displaying photos of the dictator next to the crucified Jesus, praising and glorifying both.

When the Lord sent me a Bible through Dave I was shocked by what I read inside:
'But do not be called rabbi for One is your teacher and you all are brothers. And do not call anyone on earth father, for One is your Father; He who is in Heaven And do not be called leaders; for One is your leader. That is Jesus Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant.' (Matthew 23; 8-11) What a revelation? I didn't know anything about these shaking truths. All I knew about religion came from the theological books that censorship permitted to be published. Suddenly, it all collapsed and I saw the naked truth: All those thick layers of rituals and practices - impossible to remember - were meant to wrap up the basic, simple truth that Jesus left to eternity.

Poor mom she was the first to know of my discoveries. I deeply regret it now for I caused her pain. To address the Almighty God and just say 'Father' as Jesus taught me to pray, instead of addressing the head of the church (not just one word - compulsory five long words) .....!

So I did not join the Orthodox Church as my mom wanted. Yes there are other churches but non of those in my village. Very much depends on where I will definite settle, I am for now still in the quest of that place.

All God Blessings, Miti

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