Should Turkey re open the Halki Theological seminary

**Nikos_Rouvelas** · 06-23-2009, 01:31

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halki_seminary
The Halki seminary is a thousand year old Monastery and more recently Theological seminary that lies in Turkey. Should Turkey allow the seminary to be reopened? Or do they have the right to keep it closed?

**Marshal Murat** · 06-23-2009, 01:37

Why was it closed in the first place? All the wiki article said was that it was forced to close because the government wouldn't allow seminaries, but I thought Turkey was secular enough to have free religious education?

**Philippus Flavius Homovallumus** · 06-23-2009, 02:02

Seems the Seminary refused to become part of the secular University. Perhaps somewhat unreasonable, they could at least have agreed to be associated.

You have to realise that Turkey fears Islamification, and those same laws apply to Christian Seminaries.

**Fragony** · 06-23-2009, 08:52

Originally Posted by Marshal Murat

Why was it closed in the first place? All the wiki article said was that it was forced to close because the government wouldn't allow seminaries, but I thought Turkey was secular enough to have free religious education?

Existing institutions can remain, but other religions can't found new ones.

As for topic, it's on Turkish soil Turkey can do as she pleases. Monastery has been closed for so long, why not make a museum out of it like the Hagia Sophia, can't set the time back 1000 years.

edit: ow! wrong monastery bad Frag. Undecided. Not going to tell Turkey what to do, their country their rules.

**KukriKhan** · 06-23-2009, 13:13

and the school's library with its historic collection of books, journals, and manuscripts. The library contains over 120,000 books.

Open or closed, I hope someone is caring for the library contents.

**Nikos_Rouvelas** · 06-23-2009, 16:56

Originally Posted by KukriKhan

Open or closed, I hope someone is caring for the library contents.

I think the monks are taking care of it.

**Alexander the Pretty Good** · 06-24-2009, 05:19

When someone asks if someone "should" do something it's a bit of a copout to say "they can do what they want." It would be more honest to say either you don't care or you don't have a moral stance on the subject.

According to Wikipedia it was closed because it didn't become part of the public university system, not because it was religious. A law closing private universities simply because they are private is obviously immoral.

**Furunculus** · 06-23-2009, 08:37

Originally Posted by Nikos_Rouvelas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halki_seminary
The Halki seminary is a thousand year old Monastery and more recently Theological seminary that lies in Turkey. Should Turkey allow the seminary to be reopened? Or do they have the right to keep it closed?

turks appreciate the legacy kemal left them, and if they insist on having state-approved religion (read: castrated) then who am i to nay-say them.

**Mouzafphaerre** · 06-29-2009, 20:12

Originally Posted by Furunculus

turks appreciate the legacy kemal left them, and if they insist on having state-approved religion (read: castrated) then who am i to nay-say them.

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Good one!

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**Cute Wolf** · 06-29-2009, 18:05

Just open it, what's wrong?

**Mouzafphaerre** · 06-29-2009, 20:11

Originally Posted by Nikos_Rouvelas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halki_seminary
The Halki seminary is a thousand year old Monastery and more recently Theological seminary that lies in Turkey. Should Turkey allow the seminary to be reopened? Or do they have the right to keep it closed?

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For an averagely sane person there is only one answer to this question: Yes! Regarding the Turkish state's policies, contrary to their own delusions, the answer should still be a yes. Simple equation there. With the seminary closed, the Orthodox community cannot train local clerics. Instead, they have to import them, mainly from Thessaloniki.

As for why it was closed, it was during the coup d'etat era under military pressure. Foreigners should keep in mind that the military is not a normal class in the Turkish society but a privileged caste.
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