Amen!!!!

Glory to God!!

@@AnonymousMan115 God bless your journey to Orthodoxy.

erickybarra.wordpress.com/2016/12/14/anglicans-must-admit-but-the-orthodox/

erickybarra.wordpress.com/2016/12/14/anglicans-must-admit-but-the-orthodox/@@AnonymousMan115

erickybarra.wordpress.com/2016/12/14/anglicans-must-admit-but-the-orthodox/

I am currently beginning to inquire into Orthodoxy because of his books Nihilism and Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future. I don't know where I will end up, but I do feel pulled in this direction. And the only spark that even started this fuse was these books. Where I have scoffed at Christianity, and mocked it for near two decades, Seraphim Rose's books have given me a sobering punch about what Christianity could mean, what it could do. I am still outside of the Church as I write this, but I can't help but credit this man for making me look at it seriously like nobody else ever could. Critical atheists and protestant apologists all sounded like a bunch of inconsequential bickering... But this mans writing is making me consider this faith in a way I would not have thought possible even two years ago.

What was the quote? If you don't mind me asking.

​@@PabloCardonaMusic same

Especially pertinent, considering how many "conspiracy theories" have been proven true - in part or in whole - the last few years...

@@publius5128 Yeah, plus, none of the ones Fr Rose talked about where actually all that controversial. Aliens, Eastern Mysticism and Zionism were simply culturally prominent phenomena that he commented on. And none of his comments were made without extensive reference to Patristic literature. We know that people in the Church, like Fr Andrew Damick from AFR (who I don't think is a totally bad person but he seems a captive of some of the spirits of our time) simply dislike and badmouth Fr Seraphim because they don't like that his followers oppose modernism and are vocal about it. It's not necessarily that those people buy wholesale into masonic ideology or transhumanism, but here is my view of what's going on for the most part: There are people who joined the Church "before it was hip" (it still isn't really, but there is a surge in converts) and basically became representatives of an obscure, intriguing religious group. Because they were among the few hierarchs, they got used to being the faces and to some degree, the exegetes of that religion. It became their shtick. Now you have a lot of converts who lived in the world, got sick from it, and look for healing. They don't care about making friends with modern people, in fact, they oppose it, for a variety of reasons. Some of those "before hip" people are cradle Orthodox, who view it simply as a feature of ethnic culture (which isn't wrong in and of itself, but it shouldn't be reduced to that) others adopted it and made it their "thing". Both of these groups have the problem that they view Orthodoxy not as a thing in itself, but as a vehicle for their ego, one way or another. If you want to be Orthodox, ultimately you have to be ready to be perceived as an enemy by the people of this world who surround you. Obviously, it's necessary to be wise and not needlessly provoke and upset. But we all can see where things are going. Our generation needs to have a martyr mindset, and Fr Seraphim pointed that out. Some people, particularly some boomers and gen Xers, have a problem with that.

You're absolutely right! They don't want the clergy to rock the boat and debate about secular issues. "You keep your religion out of the public sphere.... unless you endorse WEF and liberal policies !". I also believe that opposing Darwinian evolution is a taboo topic, and Fr. Seraphim Rose produced a refutation to evolution in his great book: Genesis, Creation and Early Man. In a nutshell: 99 % of our bishops arent worth a dime!

OCA are a bunch of ecumenist anyways

@@helpIthinkmylegsaregonespot on, exactly.

erickybarra.wordpress.com/2016/12/14/anglicans-must-admit-but-the-orthodox/

erickybarra.wordpress.com/2016/12/14/anglicans-must-admit-but-the-orthodox/

Amen!

erickybarra.wordpress.com/2016/12/14/anglicans-must-admit-but-the-orthodox/

erickybarra.wordpress.com/2016/12/14/anglicans-must-admit-but-the-orthodox/

erickybarra.wordpress.com/2016/12/14/anglicans-must-admit-but-the-orthodox/

erickybarra.wordpress.com/2016/12/14/anglicans-must-admit-but-the-orthodox/

This is why the American Orthodox and other westerners are moving to countries like Russia, away from the persecution to live with their big families near the old monasteries. That's not to say that people won't move to live near the monasteries in the US founded by Elder Ephraim, though. If only more people did so... We need to pray.

erickybarra.wordpress.com/2016/12/14/anglicans-must-admit-but-the-orthodox/

erickybarra.wordpress.com/2016/12/14/anglicans-must-admit-but-the-orthodox/

My priest allowed me to place an icon without a halo in the sanctuary. It was right next to St Olga of Alaska until she was glorified… her new icon will have a halo!

@@orthodoxboomergrandma3561 Saint Olga? I’m not familiar, where is she from?

@@user-wh5pd4fs3c From Alaska, she was just in the past month officially recognized by the church as a saint. A lot of people had said that it was a long time coming.

@@user-wh5pd4fs3cAlaska!

Vote with your attendance or the lack of it. When church fathers are afraid of a man like SR, be afraid of the church fathers.

I'm foolish enough to speak up, I really don't understand the frantic push to normalize and accept a heterodox baptism.

look at the concensus of the Saints

@@mikeunderhi why not? I was not born in an Orthodox family and after many years of surching for Christ I have found him through the Greek Orthodox church and since then I am growing with wisdom and love. What would I do if I want to get baptized and no priest accepts me. I AM SCREWED

@@seraphim3TN maybe, but Saint Paisios disagreed. He mentored people to seek a baptism outside their priest if they were unwilling.

@@mikeunderhi the consensus says you need to be baptised.

No, just one Bishop in Georgia has petitioned for him to be canonized. The Georgian Church as the institution has not done so.

@@NoeticInsight Thank you. I read the news a while ago and you can't trust journalist on these issues. ☦️

Good question. This passage from the biography of Fr. Seraphim Rose might help: During the years he lived at the skete, Fr. Seraphim did not take a shower or bath, washing himself with nothing except a wet rag. In time his strikingly long beard, reaching down to his waist, became matted. One would think that one who did not take a bath for so long would begin to smell terrible. But Fr. Seraphim never had a bad odor. This same phenomenon may be noticed in places like Mount Athos, where monks follow the same rule. As St. Nikodemos of Mount Athos has written, this is because of the abstinence, lack of excess, and hard work in a monk’s life, which evaporate and digest unnecessary bodily liquids. More recently, Elder Paisios of Mount Athos has pointed out: “Through the ascetic life man becomes, in some way, immaterial and, even though he does not wash, he shines and is fragrant.” -Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, Ch. 73

This is not how saints are glorified in the Orthodox Church.

@@buzzard777 Really? Incorruption and works of Intercession are not taken into consideration in the glorification of Saints by the Church Militant? They most certainly are in the Orthodox Church for they are signs of confirmation of the Saint's glorification in the Church Triumphant. The Church is a theantropic organism. The Church is the Body of Christ, and it doesn't establish things by popular vote or sentiment, but by acknowledging the will of Christ in UNITY with the Church Triumphant. Fr. Pomazansky goes into all this. What is not done in the Orthodox Church is that Saints are made Saints by popular approval or by nature of a humanist affirmation - that's not how things are not done in the Orthodox Church. If there is no incorruption, there is no sign of glorification. If there is no intercession, the reposed in the Lord is in need of our prayers. That's how it works in the Orthodox Church.

@@rmichaelzachary8574 You don't need incorruption and miracles. Many Orthodox saints were not incorrupt nor were there known miracles, that's all I am saying.

@@buzzard777 In some exceptional cases such as Martyrdom, but even in cases where Incorruption is not present often there are signs of glorification, be they fragrant or honey brown Relics or the like. But that is an exception to the rule. Incorruption is generally the norm as a sign of glorification.

@@rmichaelzachary8574Ok that's fine. I was not sure where you were headed originally.

Even Cradles have to decide to be Orthodox.

Orthodoxy doesn't label people as "convert" or "cradle", just "Orthodox". Ignore people who place emphasis on it. As the previous comment is pointing out, everyone has to live the faith. When someone enters the Orthodox Church, it isn't the end of the journey, just the beginning. People have different starting points, question is how do they end it.

Can’t it be both?

@@OrthodoxWisdom don’t know. Thanks

We are praying this will be the case.

Get this comment out of here. its dangerous to chatechumens

It’s very difficult for me to imagine a catechumen persuaded by a simple statement that reeks of a Protestant either/or mentality.

Lol you’re either not a Protestant or you’re a highly Protestant-influenced Orthodox. To say the Philokalia is gnostic and full of heresies is one of the craziest and prideful statements you could make. Furthermore, the Orthodox Church has ALWAYS asked Saints to pray FOR us. Yes, we pray to God Himself, but we also ask the Saints who are Holy and closer to God because they are in Theosis (union with God). Because of that, their prayers have more power than ours since they don’t have as much sin blocking their union with God as we do. The Philokalia is read by all of our holiest Saints. On Mount Athos everyone is taught from the Philokalia, and I’ve been there and met holy elders who knew everything about me without me having ever said a word to them or anyone there before. Another holy priest I know who I go to for confession would often tell me my specific sins that I was going to confess before I could even say it to him. These are holy men who are united to God. I’ve also seen him with my own eyes heal a man whose leg was about to be amputated the next day. This priest and all the other holy servants of God read the Philokalia. It is very prideful for you to think you know better theology than thousands of Saints that have confirmed the Philokalia. And carrying icons for processions has been a standard practice in the Orthodox Church since the early church times. Orthodoxy preserved the practices and theology of the Early Church founded by Christ and His Apostles. You need to read Church History to see what the Church did from the beginning. They venerated bodies of Saints, they had icons, they practiced hesychasim etc. Everything is Orthodox still do. I used to be Protestant but then when I read Church history I realized I was wrong about everything and could hardly call myself a Christian since I didn’t do anything that the Early Church did and that I was not a part of the Apostolic Church that had Apostolic Succession. It was humbling but enriching to finally be in God’s true Church.

I’m curious, how have you come to the conclusion that the veneration of icons is “utterly pagan”? Also, you call the intercession of saints for us here on earth “a blasphemy against the God of the Bible”. Which Bible are you talking about?

The depiction of Mary in iconography is not idolatry. Look up the Dura Europos synagogue and see the all the iconography of the Old Testament Saints or read the descriptions of Solomons temple and see all the iconography in it. Offering prayer to saints is not idolatry either. Saint Seraphim is not a corpse. He is with Christ and there is nothing wrong in asking for his intercession on our behalf. Christ himself commands us to intercede on behalf of our enemies. how much more then our brothers?

I say this out of love, but you need to be re-catechized

@jimfoard5671. Below is the only instance I could find of the word "monad" in the Philokalia. To any honest reader the passage is Trinitarian; God is both One and Three. Please don't slander our Faith. "God is both Monad and Triad; He begins with the Monad and, as Decad, He completes Himself through a cyclic movement. Thus He contains within Himself the origins and ends of all things. He is outside everything, since He transcends all things. To be within Him you must embrace the inner essences and possess a spiritual knowledge of created beings. Then while standing outside all things you will dwell within all things and know their origins and ends; for you will have attained a spiritual union with the Father through the Logos and will have been perfected in the Spirit. May the sovereignty of this all-perfect, indivisible and coessential Trinity, worshipped in Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and glorified in one nature, kingdom and power of Divinity, prevail throughout the ages. Amen."