Elder Athanasios of Grigoriou: A Bee Gathering Spiritual Nectar

By Archimandrite Cherubim

What a blessed thing it is to read spiritual books! They can cool and refresh one's whole life. Fr. Athanasios had loved to study from his youth, and here on Mount Athos, with its treasury of spiritual books, they were his companions during every free moment. He sought out the most beautiful flowers in their meadows to make the loveliest bouquets. He gave himself to this task from his first days on Mt. Athos. From all the patristic, ascetic and theological books, he chose the most inspiring passages and inscribed them in his notebook. That blessed pastime continued into old age.

We saw his handwritten notes in the hands of many of the monks of Grigoriou. We discovered in them a rich variety. Next to ascetic texts, there are important events of Church history; next to Patristic writings there are sayings of ancient sages; besides teachings from the Lives of the Saints there are important canons of ecclesiastical law, and stories about the world of ancient Greece, etc. Here are a few examples from the collection:

- Since you are mortal, don't consider yourself immortal.

- Not even the little birds fall down to the ground without God's will. We should always say to God, "Thy will be done."

- St. Augustine was much instructed by the stories about St. Anthony and the ascetics of Egypt. "What is this?" he would ask his friend Alypius. "What did you hear? The ignorant rise up and seize heaven; and we, behold how we, with our heartless science, wallow in flesh and blood."

- The power of the iron sword was not given in the Church; but the power of the spiritual sword, wherein lies the Word of God.

- Pythagoras was never persuaded to eat fish, because by physical nature they are silent and symbolic of silence, which he considered a divine and heavenly gift.

- The spirits of the chosen seek seclusion, and they flee from the assembly of many men.

- Justinian founded and established Hagia Sophia on the mouth of the well on which Christ sat.

- Write your enmity on the water.

- There are five baptisms. First is Moses', when the Hebrews passed over the Red Sea. Second, that of John the Baptist. Third, that of Our Lord Jesus Christ, without which baptism one is not a Christian. Fourth, martyrdom - baptism in blood. Christ suffered that baptism. And fifth, the baptism of tears, which comes from the remembrance of one's sins.

- Bind your will to the will of God, and all things will happen as you wish.

- At the Skete of Boeria, St. Gregory Palamas would spend five days of the week closeted in his cell, not allowing others to enter it. Only on Saturdays and Sundays did he leave to celebrate the Holy Mysteries and to converse spiritually.

- O my God, the Apostle said to Thee that "if any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man" (James 3:2). Lay Thy bridle on me, Lord, and curb my tongue with Thy grace, that I may speak only "whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report" (Phil. 4:8).

From Contemporary Ascetics of Mount Athos, pp. 107-109.

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Synaxis of All Saints of Athens

Synaxis of All Saints of Athens (Feast Day - October 12)

The Germans occupied Greece from 1941 until 1944. In the first year of the German occupation of Greece more than 300,000 civilians died from hunger - with Athens especially hit hard. Over 400,000 Greeks died during the Second World War, the vast majority civilians. On 12 October 1944 Athens was liberated from the German occupation and the government in exile returned. As the last German soldiers took the swastika down from the Acropolis and began to drive through the city towards the road north, they passed through crowds of Athenians in a state of joy, waving the blue and white Greek flags, embracing, while bells rang all over the city. It was a happy time for those in Athens who had survived the occupation, but their joy was not destined to last. They were about to enter the most divisive period of modern Greek history - the Greek Civil War.

To commemorate the joy of this occasion, the Holy Archdiocese of Athens issued an encyclical on 22/30 September 1999 that a feast be held to commemorate in a synaxis "all those saints in the city of Athens and the surrounding districts: holy apostles, hierarchs and righteous who lived, struggled and died in her." This synaxis was to be celebrated annually on October 12th.

Among those commemorated are St. Philothei, St. Nektarios, St. Dionysius the Areopagite, St. Paul the Apostle and many others who were associated with the city of Athens.

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Saint Martin the Merciful, Bishop of Tours

St. Martin of Tours (Feast Day - November 12; the Slavic Calendar commemorates him on October 12)

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Martin was born of pagan parents in the Pannonian [modern Hungary] town of Sabaria in the year 316. His father was a Roman officer, and the young Martin was given over to military service against his will. By then, however, he was already a catechumen in the Christian Church. From early childhood he had loved the Church with all his heart.

One winter, while traveling with his companions to the town of Amiens, he saw a beggar before the town gates, almost naked and shivering from the cold. Martin felt sorry for him, and fell behind his companions. He then removed his military cloak and cut it in two with his sword. He gave one half to the beggar and wrapped the other around himself, and left. That night, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him in a dream, wrapped in the other half of his cloak, and said to His angels: "Martin is only a catechumen, yet behold: he has clothed Me with his garment!"

Leaving the army, Martin was immediately baptized, and then baptized his mother. He was then tonsured a monk in the diocese of St. Hilary of Poitiers and led a life of true asceticism. Martin was exceptionally humble, for which God endowed him with an abundant gift of working miracles, such that he raised the dead and drove out evil spirits. Martin was appointed Bishop of Tours against his will. After abundant labor in the vineyard of the Lord, and after a difficult struggle with pagans and Arian heretics, St. Martin gave his holy soul into the hands of his Lord in the year 397.

REFLECTION

By what virtue have the saints been most exalted and glorified in the eyes of heaven and men? Primarily by their humility and service.

Even before his baptism, while he was still an officer, St. Martin had a servant whom he considered more a brother than a servant. He often served this servant unashamedly; in fact, he even rejoiced in it.

Again, when St. Hilary wanted to ordain him a priest, he refused this honor with tears, and begged the bishop to let him simply be a monk in some remote place.

Once, St. Martin was traveling from France to Pannonia to visit his parents. While he was crossing over the Alps, murderous robbers captured him. When one of the robbers raised his sword to behead him, Martin showed no fear, and remained motionless; he did not beg for mercy but was completely at peace, as if nothing were happening. The robber, amazed at such behavior, lay aside his sword and asked Martin who he was. Martin replied that he was a Christian, and hence, he was not afraid, for he knew that God, according to His great mercy, is always close to men, especially in times of danger. The thieves were astonished at the rare virtue of this man of God, and he who had drawn his sword against Martin believed in Christ, was baptized, and later became a monk.

When the episcopal throne in Tours became vacant, the people wanted Martin to be bishop, but Martin did not even want to hear of it. However, certain citizens of Tours craftily lured him from the monastery and carried him off. They came to the gate of Martin's monastery and told Martin that a sick man was out there with them, and they begged him for a blessing. When Martin came out they seized him, took him to Tours, and had him consecrated bishop.

In old age, he foresaw his approaching death. He told his brethren and they began to weep copiously, begging him not to leave them. The saint, seeking to comfort them, prayed to God in their presence and said: "Lord, if I am still needed by Thy people, I do not reject the labor. Let it be according to Thy holy will."

HYMN OF PRAISE: Saint Martin, Bishop of Tours

St. Martin, a child of Pannonia,
And the great illuminator of Gaul,
Despised the earthly emperor's honors,
And became a servant of the heavenly King.
The will of a powerful giant
Was in Martin's merciful heart.
Martin sprinkled himself with ashes,
And on the ashes this humble one slept,
Out of love for his God-
Crucified for sinful men.
And Martin had crucified himself to the world
Solely to reach the goal!
Martin led the battle against demons,
Yielding to none of their temptations,
And led the battle against impudent men,
Against dark, dishonorable heresies.
Martin was a knight of Orthodoxy,
And a victor, wondrous and glorious.
With the battle won, the knight rests
With the angels close to Christ the King:
And yet even now he lifts up prayers,
And comes to the aid of those in peril.

Relics of St. Martin of Tours

After a life of devoted service to Christ and His Church, the saint fell ill at Candes, a village in his diocese, where he died on November 8, 397. He was buried three days later (his present feast) at Tours. During the Middle Ages, many Western churches were dedicated to St Martin, including St Martin's in Canterbury, and St Martin-in-the-Fields in London.

In 1008, a cathedral was built at Tours over the relics of St Martin. This cathedral was destroyed in 1793 during the French Revolution, together with the relics of St Martin and St Gregory of Tours (November 17). A new cathedral was built on the site many years later. Some fragments of the relics of St Martin were recovered and placed in the cathedral, but nothing remains of St Gregory's relics.

St Martin's name appears on many Greek and Russian calendars. His commemoration on October 12 in the Russian calendar appears to be an error, since ancient sources give the November date.

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Weeping In The Evening Brings Joy In The Morning

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5).

God rebukes, and God makes glad. Just one repentant thought eases the wrath of God; for God is not angry at men as an enemy is angry, but His anger toward men is as that of a father toward his children. His anger is momentary, and His mercy is infinite. If He rebukes you in the evening, He causes you to rejoice in the morning; men know Him best in His rebuking and in His mercy. O my brethren, if men constantly knew and recognized God as the Doer of good, they would never know Him as Rebuker and Judge. Behold, God rejoices more when we recognize Him by His mercy than by His anger. However, there are very ungrateful and thoughtless people who never remember God when He grants mercy, but remember Him only when He chastises and rebukes them through sickness, death in the family, failure and shame before men, fire, the sword, earthquake or flood, or numerous other punitive rods and sticks with which He chastens the unawakened, reminds the ungrateful, brings the errant to their senses, and reminds everyone that He is the Creator and Lord, the Giver of Gifts and the Judge.

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." These words also mean that the night is for weeping and prayer, for repentance and divine contemplation. The night especially is for repentance, and there is no true repentance without tears. At night a man thinks without hindrance about his deeds, his words, and his thoughts, and repents for all that he has done contrary to God's law. If a man weeps in repentance at night, then he will rejoice during the day. He will rejoice as a newborn, as one bathed, as one alleviated from the burden of sin. But, if he spends the night in sin and senseless revelry, a sorrowful and tearful day will dawn for him.

O Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Teacher, rebuke us, but forgive us; chastise us, but save us. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.

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Joseph Smith: "I Will Be A Second Muhammad"

In the heat of the Missouri “Mormon War” of 1838, Joseph Smith made the following claim:

“I will be to this generation a second Muhammad, whose motto in treating for peace was ‘the Alcoran [Koran] or the Sword.’ So shall it eventually be with us — ‘Joseph Smith or the Sword!’”[1]

It is most interesting that a self-proclaimed Christian prophet would liken himself to Muhammad, the founder of Islam. His own comparison invites us to take a closer look as well. And when we do, we find some striking — and troubling — parallels. Consider the following.

· Muhammad and Joseph Smith both had humble beginnings. Neither had formal religious connections or upbringing, and both were relatively uneducated. Both founded new religions by creating their own scriptures. In fact, followers of both prophets claim these scriptures are miracles since their authors were the most simple and uneducated of men.[2]

· Both prophets claim of having angel visitations, and of receiving divine revelation to restore pure religion to the earth again. Muhammad was told that both Jews and Christians had long since corrupted their scriptures and religion. In like manner, Joseph Smith was told that all of Christianity had become corrupt, and that consequently the Bible itself was no longer reliable. In both cases, this corruption required a complete restoration of both scripture and religion. Nothing which preceded either prophet could be relied upon any longer. Both prophets claim they were used of God to restore eternal truths which once existed on earth, but had been lost due to human corruption.

· Both prophets created new scripture which borrowed heavily from the Bible, but with a substantially new “spin.” In his Koran, Muhammad appropriates a number of Biblical themes and characters—but he changes the complete sense of many passages, claiming to “correct” the Bible. In so doing he changes many doctrines, introducing his own in their place. In like manner, Joseph Smith created the Book of Mormon, much of which is plagiarized directly from the King James Bible. Interestingly, the Book of Mormon claims that this same Bible has been substantially corrupted and is therefore unreliable. In addition, Joseph Smith went so far as to actually create his own version of the Bible itself, the “Inspired Version,” in which he both adds and deletes significant portions of text, claiming he is “correcting” it. In so doing he also changes many doctrines, introducing his own in their place.

· As a part of their new scriptural “spin,” both prophets saw themselves as prophesied in scripture, and both saw themselves as a continuation of a long line of Biblical prophets. Muhammad saw himself as a continuation of the ministry of Moses and Jesus. Joseph Smith saw himself as a successor to Enoch, Melchizedek, Joseph and Moses. Joseph Smith actually wrote himself into his own version of the Bible—by name.

· Both prophets held up their own scripture as superior to the Bible. Muhammad claimed that the Koran was a perfect copy of the original which was in heaven. The Koran is therefore held to be absolutely perfect, far superior to the Bible and superceding it. In like manner, Joseph Smith also made the following claim. “I told the Brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding its precepts, than by any other book.”[3]

· Despite their claim that the Bible was corrupt, both prophets admonished their followers to adhere to its teachings. An obvious contradiction, this led to selective acceptance of some portions and wholesale rejection of others. As a result, the Bible is accepted by both groups of followers only to the extent that it agrees with their prophet’s own superior revelation.

· Both Muhammad and Joseph Smith taught that true salvation was to be found only in their respective religions. Those who would not accept their message were considered “infidels,” pagans or Gentiles. In so doing, both prophets became the enemy of genuine Christianity, and have led many people away from the Christ of the Bible.

· Both prophets encountered fierce opposition to their new religions and had to flee from town to town because of threats on their lives. Both retaliated to this opposition by forming their own militias. Both ultimately set up their own towns as model societies.

· Both Muhammad and Joseph Smith left unclear instructions about their successors. The majority of Muhammad’s followers, Sunni Muslims, believe they were to elect their new leader, whereas the minority, Shiite Muslims, believe Muhammad’s son was to be their next leader. Similarly, the majority of Joseph Smith’s followers, Mormons, believed their next prophet should have been the existing leader of their quorum of twelve apostles, whereas the minority, RLDS, believed Joseph Smith’s own son should have been their next prophet. Differences on this issue, and many others, have created substantial tension between these rival groups of each prophet.

· Muhammad taught that Jesus was just another of a long line of human prophets, of which he was the last. He taught that he was superior to Christ and superceded Him. In comparison, Joseph Smith also made the following claim:

“I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him, but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet.”[4]

In light of these parallels, perhaps Joseph Smith’s claim to be a second Muhammad unwittingly became his most genuine prophecy of all.

-----------------

[1] Joseph Smith made this statement at the conclusion of a speech in the public square at Far West, Missouri on October 14, 1838. This particular quote is documented in Fawn M. Brodie, No Man Knows My History, second edition, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1971), p. 230–231. Fawn Brodie’s footnote regarding this speech contains valuable information, and follows. “Except where noted, all the details of this chapter [16] are taken from the History of the [Mormon] Church. This speech, however, was not recorded there, and the report given here is based upon the accounts of seven men. See the affidavits of T.B. Marsh, Orson Hyde, George M. Hinkle, John Corrill, W.W. Phelps, Samson Avard, and Reed Peck in Correspondence, Orders, etc., pp. 57–9, 97–129. The Marsh and Hyde account, which was made on October 24, is particularly important. Part of it was reproduced in History of the [Mormon] Church, Vol. III, p. 167. See also the Peck manuscript, p. 80. Joseph himself barely mentioned the speech in his history; see Vol. III, p. 162.”

[2] John Ankerberg & John Weldon, The Facts on Islam, (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1998), pp.8–9. Eric Johnson, Joseph Smith & Muhammed, (El Cajon, CA: Mormonism Research Ministry, 1998), pp. 6–7.

[3] Documentary History of the [Mormon] Church, vol.4, pp.461.

[4] Documentary History of the [Mormon] Church, vol.6, pp.408–409.

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Mormonism: The False Religion of Deception and Control

By Tricia Erickson

Mormonism has become one of the largest and richest religions in the world. The “CEO’s who are the present and former “Prophets” and the executive management team who are the former and present “Twelve Apostles”, run one of the largest and most deceptive corporations in the world. I choose to refer to the prophets and the apostles of the Mormon Church as the heads of the Corporation. To this day there has not been a full accounting for the churches finances. No disclosure of where, how and by whom all of this estimated 7 billion plus dollars per year is spent. The church assets are in the billions but the church authorities do not see the need to let its members, from whence the money came from, know where their money is going, nor do these blind faith believers even ask.

While the government is out there shaking down all kinds of businesses for crimes like fraud, deceptive business practices, corporate greed, lying to the SEC and to the tax man, unfair trade practices, lack of corporate compliance, scams and schemes, the Mormon corporation seems to have an open range to graze on any consumer who will buy their concepted product.

We all know that this type of mechanism exists in the religious realm of the world, but it amazes me that most of the world has not awakened to the false religion of Mormonism. The reason may be because Mormons are so nice. They do not partake of alcohol, illegal drugs, cigarettes and caffeine because their “Word of Wisdom” proclamation prohibits the consumption of these products. We also may have noticed that Mormons have a milquetoast appearance. They usually dress conservatively and their clothes are neatly pressed and clean. There seems to be more blond families in the church then brunettes, Black Americans, Asians and other races. The company image put out to the public is the image of family values, health, and the stepford style of perfection. So what could be wrong with this picture? Where do I begin?

I must confess that I was born and raised as a full-fledged Mormon. In fact, I was a Mormon Bishop’s daughter. Yes, my clothes were clean and pressed, and my Super- Mom made most of them by hand. I was one of five family value poster children. I went to Sunday school class and Church services every Sunday. I went to “Mutual” every Wednesday night. I endured the indoctrination of seminary at 6:00am every morning for many months before school. All of the children in my family and my Bishop Dad and my Bishop’s wife, Mom, were the perfectly attractive image of what every poster Mormon family should be.

My parents, as well as just about all Mormon parents, went to great lengths to make sure that we did not socialize with non-Mormons by design, because we could have heard the truth elsewhere. My parents tried their best to make sure that all of our friendships, relationships and marriages were within the Mormon community. It is so true that when human beings are raised in a cult or join a cult that the strange doctrine which would look so bizarre from out side of the cult, looks so normal from inside of the cult. Mormon’s teach that they have special knowledge that outsiders do not have, and have claimed through history that the Mormon religion is the one and only true religion on the earth. However, the good Lord blessed me, even as a child, with a critical thinking spirit that literally saved me in to the truth. I pray every day for the Lord to deliver my son, my brother and my nephew and their wives and children out of the blindness and mind control of this cult.

My heart goes out to the good people of the Mormon Church. These are people who are working so hard to do “good works” in order to attain a place in the highest of their three degrees of heaven in order to become Gods of their own heavenly kingdoms and continue to populate their kingdoms by having eternal sex and birthings of spirit children. Their three heavens are named the telestial, the terrestrial and the celestial kingdoms. The celestial kingdom is the heaven that all Mormons aim for in order to become celestial Gods. If they work hard enough in the Mormon Church, and do enough good works, they will make it. If they don’t do so well, they will end up in the terrestrial kingdom, which isn’t so bad. However, if they really do poorly, they will end up in the telestial kingdom which is not a piece of cake, but they can possibly earn their way out of there and move up a notch after a period of time. Joseph Smith revealed all of this to his followers because, as a prophet, he stated that God revealed this and much more to him. There was no room for questioning of his revelations, or his sanity, for that matter. He said that God spoke through him, and who would question God?

Yes, this is what they believe. If this is shocking to you, let me continue.

I am going to make a bold, yet true statement that will not set will with every Mormon that reads this article so hold on to your hat because the lid needs to be blown off of this monster. THE MORMON RELIGION WAS FORMED BY JOSEPH SMITH (the first self proclaimed prophet of the Mormon Church) FOR THE REASON OF CREATING A RELIGION THAT WOULD ENABLE HIM TO FEED HIS SEX ADDICTION. Yes, this self proclaimed prophet had a vision in which two angels from heaven came to him and gave him Golden Plates which had the “only true religion” written on them. These plates were encrypted in some form of Egyptian hieroglyphic language that no one in the world could read or translate at that time, except Joseph. Are you following me?

You see, before these angels supposedly appeared to Joseph, he was known around town to be, what you call, a seer. Joseph traveled through the streets telling people mystical things, their fortunes and divine revelations by looking through a seer stone. In reality, this is a form of witchcraft and the source of this power certainly does not come from above. Joseph also used his stone to find gold and hidden treasures.

Young Joseph took these plates, and as the story goes, he put his head down in to a hat with a seer stone and translated these tablets into what we know now to be The Book of Mormon. While doing this he convinced two other men to believe that they saw his same vision in order that they could tell others of their telepathic witnessing of this mystical and historical event. When this Book of Mormon was completed, one might say that this book was a mysterious counterfeit of the King James Version of the Bible with Joseph’s prophetic writings strategically integrated into the text in order to form a religion that would suit his purposes.

In this Book of Mormon, Joseph wrote of an entire lost tribe of Indians who were supposed to be decedents of the Israelites. This supposed lost tribe wondered, via a ship, to the United States around 589BC. Joseph proclaimed that there were great wars fought by this tribe on American soil. Yet, there is not one piece, I repeat, not one shred of archeological evidence existing to back these outrageous claims. We Americans know our history, and we know wars. If a war were fought on our soil, there would be archeological evidence, not to mention evidence of the mere existence of this tribe that roamed our continent. But because the prophet Joseph Smith said it, wrote it and was God’s spokesperson, it just had to be true.

At least much of the Bible, which is the most historically accurate book in the world, has been documented by archeological evidence and the evidence continues to be excavated out of the ground.

There are hundreds, maybe thousands of unsubstantiated claims in the Book of Mormon, as well as additional books written by Joseph Smith, combined with other writings, preaching and teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith and the prophets and leaders of the church to follow through the years.

In the 1830’s, Joseph Smith claimed to receive a revelation from God mandating that he must take many wives. Joseph told women that he was a prophet of God and the establisher of the only true religion in the universe. Joseph told his future wives that God revealed to him that he should marry them. Joseph was not satisfied with just the single and available women. He also went after the wives and children of other men. He was so bold as to tell his apostles that God revealed to him that he should also have their wives. Additionally, Joseph took children who were barely in their teens as wives who were daughters of his followers. Joseph revealed to his male followers that they should be engaged in plural marriages only if he gave them permission to do so. The revelation also stated that the wives would not be able to enter heaven unless their husbands called them in, which put great pressure on the wives to be good and obedient to these enlightened men.

Joseph Smith’s successor, Brigham Young, continued to lead his followers in polygamy. The Mormons claim they were persecuted and had to flee to Utah. Well, is this any surprise? The Mormons preached false religious doctrine and were going in to communities and taking the community’s women and daughters with them, via polygamous marriages! Polygamy was also against the law. Is it persecution to run a group of people away who are trying to take your wives and young daughters into plural marriages? The Mormons painted themselves as the victims, when, in truth, they were the predators.

The Mormons were not helpless saints. They had their own armies. One of these armies was called the Danities. The Danities were called the Avenging Angels. They went around castrating men, within their own religious system who would rise up against the insanity as well as others who would try to leave the cult. These soldiers committed thousands of maimings and murders while the Mormons were crying that they were a persecuted people. Yes, this was a form of persecution, but the persecution was from within their own controlling ranks. You will not find many Mormons today who have heard of this Council of 50 secret police within their organization. The hierarchy of the Mormon Church goes to great lengths to keep their members from the truth.

The church now denounces polygamy, as if it is now a bad thing. But in the past, they say, polygamy was all-good because God ordained it through his prophets in order to build up a righteous community. I guess they did not want to evangelize new converts like most religions do by just approaching the people that existed. The church makes it sound like there were no other people on the planet so the Mormons had no choice but to take on many wives. The revelation also stated that these wives were sealed to these men throughout eternity and would still be married to them in heaven. It was said that Joseph was sealed to 200 plus women for time and all eternity. They all had to rely on Joseph to call them in to heaven and if he didn’t call them, they didn’t get in.

Are you getting an idea of how twisted this all is? This one man, Joseph Smith, was the corner stone of the Mormon Religion. He was the author, founder, originator, leader and President of the Mormon Church. This entire religion was based on sex, control, deception, false prophets and false prophesies. To this day you can visit any Mormon church “fast and testimony meeting” in which you can witness Mormon after Mormon chanting “I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormon Church) is the one and only true church and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God”. Like cookie cutter programmed husbands, wives and children, one after another saying the same thing for 60 minutes while fasting for 24 hours.

You might say to yourself, if this is all true, how in the world could anyone believe in this religion? Well, I’m glad that you asked.

The Mormon corporation has the best marketing program known to man, the missionary program. From the time a young man, and some young women, in the Mormon Church are babies, their parents program them by telling them that when they come of age, they will have the privilege of serving the church as a missionary to convert people to the one and only true church. Just about every young man knows that when he graduates from high school not to plan to go to college until he has served a two-year mission for the church. The parents or other supportive Mormons cover most of the expenses for these young soldiers to bring in thousands and thousands of converts who will ultimately pay 10% of the gross of their income to the Mormon Corporation. It’s brilliant! The church has thousands of these cheap labor missionaries all over the world, knocking on doors to bring the only true gospel to hundreds of thousands of people. This marketing plan is far more superior than any advertising executive could have ever dreamed of. Brainwash these young and innocent minds, send them on a mission where they ride bicycles because the church is too cheap to give most of them cars, direct them to knock on millions of doors for two years and rake in the cash.

Now this “mission” concept may not seem so bad if these missionaries were true servants of the Lord and were sent out to help the homeless, feed the needy, cloth the poor or dig water wells in India. It would not seem to bad even if they were sent out to bring people to God in order that they can receive salvation. But how can you receive salvation from God when your religion teaches that you will become a God, yourself? This is blasphemy to the Lord. The scriptures clearly state that there are/were no Gods before, and will be no Gods after the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit which make up one God. The bible teaches that we are to humble ourselves to the Lord and that there should be no idols or other Gods before us.

The Mormon religion claims that Jesus was born a mere mortal man who was predestined because he was the Son of God. The Mormon twist is that because of Jesus’ good works, he worked himself into Godship. In other words, if Mormons do enough good things in their lives and become perfect, Mormons believe that they, too, can become Gods also as Jesus became God. Can you believe this? One of the biggest No No’s to God are prideful people who want to become God’s themselves. This is idolatry and self-elevation. The Bible is clear that we are to humble ourselves as servants of the one and only God. This is very dangerous territory for the Mormons who fully believe they are going to heaven.

Can you get to heaven when you deny the deity of Christ by stating that Christ was a mere man, like all of us, who achieved Godhood through his good works and that the Mormons can do the same? This is the denial of the deity of Christ through false theology which is an anti-Christ distortion of the facts.

The Bible affirms that Jesus came to earth as God wrapped in human flesh. That there was never a time that Jesus Christ was not God and that Jesus was always God who was sent to earth to atone for our sins so that we could be saved and live with him in heaven. Jesus came to the earth to save us from the lake of fire that is also called Hell, which is for an eternity with no passes out.

I cannot end this article without revealing what the Mormons do in their temples. As I mentioned, I was the daughter of a Mormon Bishop. When young Mormons marry, it is expected that they will get married in a Mormon Temple so that you can be sealed to your mate for time and all eternity.

I was one of these young Mormons who got married in the Mormon Temple when I was 19 years old. Even though I did not fully believe in this church, because my dad was a Bishop, I had to get married in the temple. I was not prepared in any way for what I experienced in that ceremony.

I carried my beautiful white velvet wedding dress in to the temple. I was thinking that this was going to be wonderful because the temple was such a beautiful place. My husband to be, who is now an ex-husband, went through one entrance for men and I went through another entrance for the women. The women took me to a locker where I hung my dress. They brought a bowl of water mixed with lavender oil and set it at my feet. They asked me to take off ALL of my clothes. I had to completely disrobe in front of these female strangers. I was very uncomfortable and my mother had not mentioned anything about this. They proceeded to wash my entire body with this water. They were touching me with the washcloth and my mind was going a thousand miles an hour. I endured the washing. Then they brought out underwear they called temple garments that looked like long johns with short sleeves and were cut off a few inches above the knees. These garments had three markings on them, one on each breast and one at the navel. The garments had an opening at the bottom area which would enable me to go to the bathroom without taking them off. They told me that I was to wear these garments at all times.

After this process, they allowed me to put my wedding gown on. I was led in to a small room where a man married us for time and all eternity. We were then led into a small auditorium type of room where the men sat on the right side and the women sat on the left side. We were told to put a green leaf apron on (something to do with the Garden of Eden) and to put a green sash over our shoulders. A man came to the front and asked us to stand and say, as a group, what he told us to say and to do what he told us to do. So here we all were, chanting the words he led us to say, and making signs with our arms and hands.

Most Mormons do not know that Joseph Smith was formerly a Mason. Mormons don’t realize that most of the signs in the Mormon Temple ceremony are of “Free Masonry” and are not symbols from the Lord.

The signs were very violent. Please bear with me because this was a long time ago and I was in some form of shock to be participating in such a bizarre ceremony. These signs and chantings took on more of a form of control and witchcraft than what was supposed to be a Godly experience. What Mormons don’t understand is when going through this ceremony, vows are made to intimidate them into secrecy. What I am doing now by revealing these secrets was demonstrated in the ceremony as being punishable by death. We were led to make signs that meant that if we ever spoke of the ceremony, we would be killed. We were led to make a sign with our thumbs that went from the left ear through our neck to the right ear, symbolizing the slashing of our throats. We were also led to make a sign with our hands of slashing out stomachs and bending forward for our guts to fall out if we spoke of these secrets. The entire ceremony continued with these intimidating and mind controlling rituals.

I could not wait to get out of there! It’s truly the strangest and most uncomfortable thing that I have ever gone through in my entire life.

Please understand that Mormons are scared, literally to death, to leave the church after these ceremonies. They truly believe that if they talk about it, they might die. It is important to understand that if you are threatened in this way to secrecy or forced into secrecy in this manner, there is something terribly wrong. There is something terribly wrong with any church or cult that has you do and say things that are to be kept in the darkness of secrecy. A church should be transparent and open to the light. This is a flagrant form of control in order to keep Mormons in the cult. This is also a way to keep the members of the Mormon Church in the church for a lifetime for the purpose of collecting 10% of their income, which leads us to the marketing plan. One of the laws Mormons strictly follow is the faithful giving of 10% of the gross of their income to the church. Now, I’m not one to tell anyone not to tithe, however, if you tithe to a false religion that is not accountable to anyone as to how the money is spent and to who the money, the real-estate and the holdings belong to, would not this give a clear minded person pause?

I attend a church where meetings are held specifically for the purpose of letting the members know where every penny they put into the church goes. There is nothing to hide. This church has the policy of full disclosure to its members, as it should be. They put their money back in to tangible programs which help the physically and mentally disabled, inner city kids, clothing for the poor, food programs to feed the hungry, ministries for battered women, for men and women coming out of sexual bondage, for people who are grieving for the loss of loved ones, divorce recovery groups, even motorcycle ministries and more.

In other words, this church places the money back in to people of the churches hands through ministries and outreaches. My church only owns the building that the church is housed in. My church does not own billions of dollars of property and receivables. When you ask any Mormon the question, “Why does the Mormon church own so much real-estate in Hawaii and many other places around the globe?” The Mormon cannot answer that question. They are stumped. So, my friends, I will ask the question for all. WHERE DO THE BILLIONS GO AND WHY DOES THE CHURCH OWN SO MUCH REALESTATE THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CHURCH OR ITS MEMBERSHIP? I would challenge any really good investigative reporter to investigate.

The Mormon hierarchy’s agenda is to counterfeit themselves in to main-stream Christendom in order to acquire more recruits from the Christian community. Mormons are not Christian. They use the name of Jesus Christ to spread their false theology in order to make money.

In closing, I want to say that the members of the Mormon Church are usually very good people. They are trying so hard to do what is right and to live up to the standards the church has laid out for them. As in any cult, they really don’t understand what they are truly involved in. I pray for the day when the darkness of this church comes in to the light and is exposed for all to see, to set the captives free.

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Saint Jonah the Hermit of Pergamos

St. Jonah the Hermit and Wonderworker (Feast Day - October 11)

Saint Jonah came from Palestine, but when it was seized by the Saracens in the 7th century (capture of Jerusalem by the Arabs: 638), he along with other hermits departed for safety.

They arrived by ship to Cyprus, and some landed in Paphos while others landed elsewhere. After saying their goodbyes, they dispersed at various locations on the island and lived as ascetics.

Saint Jonah came along with his fellow hermit Kendeas, who stayed in Paphos while Jonah continued eastwards and arrived "at the area of Trachiada (located near Achna) at a village called Pergamos". In the beginning of his stay there, he had neither a hut nor cave. After having found a cave he settled there and became an ascetic living with fasting and prayers and lived an "exemplary ascetic life in the cave".

The ascetic Saint lived in the cave by eating every night stewed lentils and wild vegetables of the region. And for more ascetic exercise and suffering he wore a hard rope under his clothes, meanwhile making his body more heavy with the use of iron which was tied on his arms with the rope. With such labours the Saint submitted himself, and with restraint, prayer, humility and the fear of God in his heart, he was led to spiritual and divine gifts. As the Saint's biographer says: "And during his life and after his death he performed countless miracles". He cured every disease for everyone who took refuge to him, having faith and fighting off the evil spirits. It is written that once he even resurrected a dead child through prayer.

The Saint had a pupil who supplied water for him from far away because there was no water source nearby. The devil, however, took the form of Elder Jonah, and would meet him on his way back from the water spring, where he would grab the water jar from his hands and pour the water on the ground. This happened several times. The pupil believing that he was his Elder and was angry - that's why the devil did such a thing - and he stopped doing his service and did not transport water for several days, so the Saint ended up becoming realy thirsty. When the pupil finally went to get water, the Saint said to him: "What took you so long to go get water, my child, I nearly died of thirst?". The student in turn, told him about the case that allegedly the Saint himself took the water jar away from his hands and poured the water on the ground. Then the Saint told his pupil: "My child, this is a diabolical invention. From now on if you see me again before you, no matter how many times I try to stop you, do not obey and don't give me the water jar." Since that time the demon disappeared and never bothered the Saint's pupil again.

After this event took place, the Saint prayed and then hit the rock near the cave with his stick and from the rock clear water issued forth which he drank to the glory of God as well as those who came to him. This water existed until 1912, when fanatical Muslim Turks destroyed the cave of the Saint and the water, the holy water, as it was considered by believers after the death of the Saint.

The friend and fellow hermit of the Saint, Kendeas, meanwhile, left Paphos and also came close to the area where Jonah lived a life of asceticism and settled in a cave near the village of Avgorou. Sometimes they would meet each other, and the last time this happened, it happened during a miracle, as is stated in the life of Saint Kendeas.

Having lived a pious life, the Saint departed to God. The faithful buried his holy body near the cave. After his repose the Christians built a church at Pergamos and dedicated it to the Saint. Over the years, the church grew into a monastery. Today only the ruins of the monastery survive because it was also destroyed by the Turks in 1912. Until 1974 in the village of Lysi, the icon of the Saint dating from the 16th century survived, which was moved there from the village of Pergamos, Larnaca. And in the village of Xylotymbou survives a half damaged icon of the Saint which was brought there by the last Greek Christian inhabitants of the community of Pergamos. It is not known if the icon is the same as the one kept in Lysi and if it was transferred to Xylotymbou after the Turkish invasion in 1974. The cave of the Saint was also destroyed by the Turks of the village of Pergamos and was filled with concrete. A new church dedicated to Saint Jonah was built in the northeast of the village of Xylotymbou in 1983 and was consecrated on 7 October 1984 by Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Kitiou. The Holy Altar of this church was built with the brick from the original church.

On 10 October 2010, for the first time in 98 years, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the location where the older church once stood.

Ἀπολυτίκιον Ήχος α'.
Της ερήμου πολίτης και εν σώματι άγγελος και θαυματουργός ανεδείχθης, Θεοφόρε Ιωνά πατήρ ημών νηστεία, αγρυπνία, προσευχή, ουράνια χαρίσματα λαβών, θεραπεύεις τους νοσούντας, και τας ψυχάς των πίστει προστρεχόντων σοι. Δόξα τω δεδωκότι σοι ισχύν, δόξα τω σε στεφανώσαντι, δόξα τω ενεργούντι δια σου πάσιν ιάματα.

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Why The Filioque Is A Heresy

By Fr. John Romanides

The Filioque is a heresy, because it confuses the hypostatic properties of the Father, i.e. His being cause, with those of the Son and, as a result, introduces a kind of Semi-Sabellianism. This is the case if the notion of being cause belongs both to the Father's and to the Son's hypostasis, but not to the Spirit's. If the Father and the Son as hypostaseis are the cause of the existence of the Holy Spirit, then, according to Photios, we have two principles in the Godhead, or, if they think of the Father and the Son as one cause, then, as we said above, we have Semi-Sabellianism, i.e. the identification of the incommunicable, hypostatic properties of the Father and the Son. If the cause is identified with the essence and not with the hypostaseis, then the Holy Spirit is a creature, because the doctrine that the essence is the cause of another person is the doctrine of the Eunomians, since they identified the cause of the existence of the Son with the essence of the Father and attempted on this basis to demonstrate that the Son is a creature. Consequently, if the Father's and the Son's essence is the cause of the existence of the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit is a creature. Again, He is a creature, if the cause of the Spirit's existence, or His procession, is a common energy of the Father and the Son, of which the Spirit is lacking. This is the case, because, as Orthodox and Pneumatomachians argue, the lack of even one energy common to the Father and to the Son from the Spirit would demonstrate the created nature of the Spirit. The one doctrine leads to Semi-Sabellianism and the other to Eunomianism, or to the heresy of the Pneumatomachoi where the Spirit becomes a creature.

Today, the Latins are obliged, if they wish to revise the foundation of their theology, not only to take seriously the theology of the Fathers, which constituted the basis of the decisions of the First and Second Ecumenical Councils, but also to revise the Trinitarian terminology, which is based on Augustine's doctrine.

Source: An Outline of Orthodox Patristic Dogmatics, pp. 33-35.

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An Orthodox Response To Scandals

A Homily By Metropolitan Athanasios of Lemessos (Limassol) Cyprus

Good evening to you all.

Let's reply to one or two questions first, and then we can move on to our topic, in order to cover them.

Well, one rather lengthy question was posed, as follows:

We daily see the Mass Media reveal all kinds of scandals that pertain to the social, political and financial life of the land. Quite often, it is revealed that political leaders and individuals in high places have been involved; people to whom our countrymen - the simple folk - have entrusted the future of our nation with their vote. And yet, they later prove to have been ruthless and self-seeking individuals who have abused the people's trust in the worst possible way. What should the good Christian's stance be, when he sees all this decay and injustice, when he sees the law of material profit prevailing, when he becomes a witness to people who step over others' dead bodies and who sacrifice everything on the altar of money? Should that Christian become actively involved, should he demonstrate, protest, and generally do something, or merely remain indifferent and stay silent, and just dedicate all his energy to the salvation of his own soul?

Of course this is a very basic question, which preoccupies all of us; however, let us take things one at a time.

First of all dear children, we need to keep in mind that all this scandalmongering, on every single subject and at every level - political, financial, social and even ecclesiastical - is NOT something that is done in a proper manner, or with good intentions. You cannot project something bad in a manner that is not good, otherwise, by projecting something bad in a bad manner, it will become even worse. Even when someone projects a good thing in a bad manner, then regardless how good it is, a bad projection of it will not be of any help to it. It will make it appear like a bad thing.

Let's give an example. A few days ago, I was visiting somewhere and on TV they were talking about a father who was sexually molesting his daughter, then the mother showed up on radio and TV and also talked about it, and we could hear a trembling voice and discern a hair-raising figure of that person... And it gets one thinking: OK, this is a scandal, it is something evil, but must these things be projected on TV? I mean, should these things be entering the mind of a little child watching that program - say for example a little girl? That her daddy or the daddy of another child would do such things? Just imagine, if her own father goes to hug her, and the child is made to feel that his caress is something else.... These things cannot be voiced; and they also cannot be amended in this way. We are not being constructive this way.

Scandals exist in the world and they will always exist. They will never cease to exist, but, are we actually being constructive by publicizing them? Are we being constructive or do we make scandals cease by projecting them in such a way? By projecting a scandal, it only becomes even greater... publicizing it is a magnifying glass that only enlarges the scandal.... OK, so there is a scandal, but is it really that necessary to magnify it?

And then there are all those who are embroiled in the problem: what happens to all of those people? Is the individual's persona tarnished - even the sinner's and the guilty party's? But then, doesn't even the suspect have a certain right? If nothing else, he does have the right to repent. So, how can you crush someone like that? And what if that person is eventually proven innocent? What if things aren't the way you described them? Who is then going to bear the weight of the responsibility of all that victimization?

Then, when all these things come out in the open, we hear about them, you all hear about them, and we too get stirred up. And what do we do? We find ourselves embarking on another process, as we can see in the question posed earlier; in other words, whether we should react. And we can see there, that there is an imperfect reaction in the question itself: "should we demonstrate, protest?" In other words, does "reacting" to this scandal require protests and stone-throwing? That would be rather reminiscent of the displays of protests against the occupying forces (in Cyprus), where we stand outside the green line, eating souvlaki and throwing stones at the Turks on the other side; then, after we are done and having felt that we have fulfilled our patriotic duty, we go to a disco to pass the time....

Is that the way for us to react towards scandals? With demonstrations and reactions of that kind? Scandals are very serious matters and they require very serious handling - as well as extreme prudence - and first of all, one must have the appropriate prerequisites inside him, in order to act correctly. In other words, one must first of all think ahead as to what the outcome of that action will be: will it have a positive result, or will it have a negative result? Then, will the reaction to that action be a good or bad one? Because a bad reaction - even if our intervention is for a good cause - will spoil it; it will spoil everything, even the benefit that could have ensued eventually.

Then, one needs to think about the others who will become embroiled in the entire affair. An example: Let's say you are an eyewitness to a crime, and you were to tell a holy man that a crime was committed - that someone murdered another person - do you know what the sentiments of that holy man would be? He would respond in the following manner: "Well, to be honest I am not a Saint, but I have seen saintly people who, upon hearing such news (and what I'm saying may be wrong - I don't know), would sorrow for the victim, they would grieve for the one who was killed, but they would literally mourn for the one who committed the crime. The one who killed is in a far more deplorable state than the one who died."

Can we comprehend this logic that the Saints possess? In other words, they would pray for the one who suffered the wrongdoing - that is, the victim - but they would pray twice as much for the perpetrator of the crime, because he is "killed" twice as much, and is in a much worse situation than the victim. Therefore, our love and our pain must be such that extends to all people. If we wish to take a spiritual stance towards such an incident, we cannot allow ourselves to "see" that this one is the villain and declare that he is worthy of every punishment and condemnation and hatred and whatever else, while the other is the one who needs compassion and sympathy. Yes, to compassion and sympathy; yes, of course the judicial system must take action, but the guilty party is likewise entitled to love. A guilty person also has the right to sympathy and caring - the pastoral caring of the Church and the people of the Church - because we simply cannot deprive any person of the eventuality and the possibility of repentance.

Therefore, we see things in a different manner than the world does: not with a secular mentality. But you may ask: OK, what are we supposed to do, with so many injustices around us? What can we do? Well, what we should do, is for each one of us to first take a look at himself and ask oneself "What is my place here? What can I do?" Then we also check our potentials, our place and our possibilities... and of course as we already said, what will the result be?

As the Elder Paisios advises: "Man must start with himself first. By making yourself good, you automatically make a piece of the world good, then you also influence those around you, and you eventually influence more and more people and further and further away, and some things inevitably become better. You can react against something bad in a very good manner; if necessary, with a more dynamic reaction, but with dignity and a noble manner. Noone can forbid you to do so, as long as it is within the limits of decency and a noble handling so that you don't annihilate the other person, but instead, help even him."

For instance, if someone has his finger on the trigger and is ready to shoot someone else and I am standing next to him without being observed, can I strike him on the hand and make his gun fall down? I can do that, provided I don't strike him with feelings of annoyance and malice and the desire to break his hand, but only to obstruct him from doing something far worse. In other words, even that educative action of mine should be made with love, with a spirit of love.

We need to ascertain that this move will be an educative one - that it will also educate me as well as the other. And I believe that when things are done with love and pain as the Elder says - with love and pain for the other person - then there will be a proper handling and edification every time. God edifies the other person too; He edifies even the one who is a completely hopeless case. God does not destroy any person. Only the devil destroys the other; God edifies even the worst assassin - He has a way of saving him. And that is what God desires: not to destroy the other, but to save him, out of infinite love. Therefore, if one looks at things this way, I believe they can change.

Now my children, no matter what we do, you need to know that it is impossible for scandals to vanish altogether. Christ Himself said so, in the Gospel: "It is an impossible thing, for scandals not to appear." Look - they even appear inside the Church, where we read the Gospel from morning to night, where we perform so many Liturgies, we receive Communion, we fast, we pray, we do so many things, we have dedicated ourselves to God, and there comes a moment when scandals break out inside the Church, they set fire and you don't know where they came from and how to extinguish them - and you imagine that scandals won't break out in other areas? These are the stamps of human imperfection. We are human beings; human imperfection is inherent, there is human weakness, there are human errors... how I understand something is quite different to how the other individual understands it... It is now a part of human nature for that imperfection to exist - that weakness - and it is only natural for all those problems and difficulties to protrude from within them.

We need to learn to react appropriately and stand firmly with prudence in the presence of scandals, without panicking and saying: "See! Scandals everywhere - nothing has remained standing." No, it is not like that at all. As the Elder used to say, "Even from within scandals, God can extract something good; in other words, wherever the devil plows, God sows..." Satan may plow and turn everything upside down, but God allows him to - there is democracy - hey, let the devil do his work, let him earn his wages too, let him finish his job, and after he is finished and has turned everything upside down and can do nothing more and everything is messed up, then the Good Lord comes and sows His seed and does His work. Sometimes, the devil messes things up so badly, that if God were to tell him to sit down and sort out the mess he made, not even he could straighten it out - that's how complicated things could become. But if one leaves things with complete trust in God's Providence, one will see that in the end, the one who wants to benefit will benefit. Many, many benefits are gained; in the end, noone is wronged - don't you worry - noone is wronged.... and if someone is wronged for a while, he will be vindicated eternally... and the one who loses transient things will gain eternal things, which are incomparably better and greater...

So, we need not worry; we are not the ones who will give out justice in this world. We simply need to learn to extract something beneficial from an injustice. Injustice abounds in the world and it will continue to exist, no matter what we do, because there is the element of human freedom and human imperfection; you cannot extort anyone into observing justice - he is a free person, he doesn't want to.

He will say: "Look mister, I don't want to do that thing - can you force me to do something that you want? Well, I don't want to do it."

"But it is unfair..."

"So, maybe it is unfair. I want unfairness. Can you deprive me of the right to desire unfairness? Can you deprive me of the right to make mistakes, to do things wrong? Well, that's what I desire!"

Fine. It's democracy. Let's say he does what he wants. But it is not something that can hinder us on our path, because injustice and difficulty are to be utilized spiritually - and man can utilize them....

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Christianity Should Not Change With The Times

Letter By St. Theophan the Recluse

December 29, 1863
Sunday after Christ's Birth

It reached my ears that, as it seems, you consider my sermons very strict and believe that today no one should think this way, no one should be living this way and therefore, no one should be teaching this way. “Times have changed!”

How glad I was to hear this. This means that you listen carefully to what I say, and not only do you listen, but you are also willing to abide by it. What more could we hope for, we who preach as we were ordered and as much we were ordered?

Despite all this, in no way can I agree with your opinion. I even consider it my duty to comment on it and to correct it, since – even though it perhaps goes against your desire and conviction – it comes from something sinful, as though Christianity could alter its doctrines, its canons, its sanctifying ceremonies to answer to the spirit of each age and adjust itself to the changing tastes of the sons of this century, as though it could add or subtract something.

Yet, it is not so. Christianity must remain eternally unchanging, in no way being dependent on or guided by the spirit of each age. Instead, Christianity is meant to govern and direct the spirit of the age for anyone who obeys its teachings. To convince you of this, I will put forward some thoughts for you to consider.

Some said that my teaching is strict. First of all, my teaching is not my own, nor should it be. In this sacred office nobody should, nor even can, preach his own teaching. If I or someone else ever dare to do so, you can put us outside the Church.

We preach the teachings of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, of the Holy Apostles, and the Holy Church, which is guided by the Holy Spirit. At the same time, we make sure to do everything possible to keep these teachings whole and inviolate in your minds and hearts. Every thought we present and every word we use, we do so very carefully, so as not to overshadow this brilliant and divine teaching in any way. Nobody can act differently.

Such a law that calls for each man’s preaching in the Church to be "God-sent," was established at the creation of the world, and should thus remain valid until the end of the world. The Prophet Moses, after the delivery of the commandments from God Himself to the people of Israel, concluded: “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you” (Deut. 4:2).

This law of constancy is so unalterable that the Lord and Savior Himself, when He was teaching the people on the mountain, said: “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Math. 5:17-18).

Then He gave the same validity to his teaching, before interpreting the commandments in the spirit of the gospel, by adding: “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven” (Math. 5:19).

This means that anyone who wrongly interprets the commandments of God and lessens their validity, will be an outcast in the future life. This is what He said at the beginning of His preaching. He assured the same thing to Saint John the Theologian, the beholder of ineffable revelations, to whom He described the final judgement of the world and the Church, indicating in the Apocalypse (Book of Revelations): “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book” (Apoc. 22:18-19).

From the time of His first appearance in the world until the Second Coming, Christ has given the Holy Apostles and their successors the following law: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Math. 28:19-20).

That means “for you to teach, not what anyone else could possibly imagine, but what I ordered, and this to the end of the world.” And He adds: “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen” (Math. 28:20).

The Apostles received this law and sacrificed their lives in order to keep it. And to those who wanted to keep them from preaching what it was they preached under the threat of punishment and death, they replied: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).

This clear law was delivered by the apostles to their successors, was accepted by them, and has timeless effect in the Church of God. Because of this law, the Church is the pillar and the ground of truth. Can you see then what an inviolable steadfastness it has? After that, who would be so bold as to stubbornly disturb or move anything in Christian doctrine and law?

Next listen to what is said of the Prophet Ezekiel who for seven days was in the ecstasy of prayer and after seven days heard the word of the Lord: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth” (Ezek. 3:17), and he declared to the people: Here is the law for you! If you see a wicked person committing iniquity and you do not tell him: leave your iniquity and change your way, “that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand” (Ezek. 3:18). Conversely, “if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul” (Ezek. 3:19-21).

What a strict law! And though it sounds in the consciences of all pastors during their election and consecration, when a heavy yoke is put on them, namely the instruction of the flock of Christ that He entrusted to them, big or small, not only to guide it but also to preserve it. How could anyone be so bold, to pervert everything in the law of Christ, when this involves the destruction of both pastors and flock?

If the saving power of this teaching depended on our opinion of it and our consent to it, it would make sense for someone to imagine rebuilding Christianity according to human weaknesses or the claims of the age and adapt it according to the sinful desires of his heart. But the saving power of Christian law does not at all depend on us, but on the will of God, by the fact that God Himself established precisely the exact path of salvation. Beyond this there is no other way, nor could it exist. Therefore, anyone who teaches in any other way, is deviating from the true path and is destroying himself and you. What logic is there in that?

Notice how strict judgment was mentioned when something similar happened to the nation of Israel during the difficult years of their captivity. Some prophets out of pity for the suffering and sick talked to the people, not as the Lord had ordered, but as their heart dictated. Concerning them the Lord gave the following commands to Ezekiel: “And you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own minds. Prophesy against them and say, 'Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls'” (Ezek. 13:17-18).
This means: Woe to those who order any kind of special treatment and suggest such leniency, so no one feels the slightest displeasure, either from those on top or those at the bottom, not caring whether this is for their salvation or destruction, whether it is pleasing to God, or repulsive. Woe to them, because “thus says the Lord God...your pillows and veils,” namely your candied and comforting teaching, “upon which there you are perverting souls, I will tear from your arms and I will let their souls that you are perverting, go away...” (Ezek. 13:20-21) from this teaching of yours and I will destroy you corrupters.

This is the benefit of this special treatment and leniency, such as you want to hear from preachers! When you put all this deep in your heart, it is not right for you to want us to make any concessions in Christian doctrine, having the wrong desire to be pleased by us. On the contrary, you are obliged to persistently demand from us to remain true to doctrine, as strictly and firmly as possible.

Have you ever heard of the indulgences of the Pope of Rome? Here is what they are: special treatment and leniency, which he gives defying the law of Christ. And what is the result? From all of this, the West is corrupt in faith and in their way of life, and is now getting lost in its disbelief and in the unrestrained life with its indulgences.

The Pope changed many doctrines, spoiled all the sacraments, nullified the canons concerning the regulation of the Church and the correction of morals. Everything has begun going contrary to the will of the Lord, and has become worse and worse.

Then came along Luther, a smart man, but stubborn. He said, “The Pope changed everything as he wanted, why shouldn't I do the same?” He started to modify and re-modify everything in his own way, and in this way established the new Lutheran faith, which only slightly resembles what the Lord had commanded and the Holy Apostles delivered to us.

After Luther came the philosophers. And they in turn said, “Luther has established himself a new faith, supposedly based on the Gospel, though in reality based on his own way of thinking. Why, then, don't we also compose doctrines based on our own way of thinking, completely ignoring the Gospel?” They then started rationalizing, and speculating about God, the world, and man, each in his own way. And they mixed up so many doctrines, that one gets dizzy just counting them.

Now the Westerners have the following views: Believe what you think best, live as you like, satisfy whatever captivates your soul. This is why they do not recognize any law or restriction and they do not abide by God's word. Their road is wide, all obstacles displaced. Their way is broad, all the obstacles taken out. But the broad road leads to perdition, according to what the Lord says. This is where leniency in teaching has led!

Lord, save us from this broad way! But it is better to love each difficulty that the Lord has appointed for our salvation. Let us love Christian doctrines and let us compel our mind with them, pushing it not to think otherwise. Let us love Christian morals and let us compel our will in them, forcing it to lift the light yoke of the Lord humbly and patiently. Let us love all Christian rituals and services which guide us, correct us, and sanctify us. Let us compel our heart with them, encouraging it to convey its desires from the earthly and perishable, to the heavenly and imperishable.

Let us confine ourselves as though in a cage. Or better, let us drag ourselves, as if we were passing through a narrow passage. Let it be narrow, so no one can deviate neither to the right left, nor the left. Yet undoubtedly, through this narrow way we will obtain the kingdom of the heavens in return. For as you know, this kingdom is the kingdom of the Lord. The Lord laid this narrow way and said, “Follow exactly this route and you will obtain the kingdom of heaven.”

Could anyone then doubt whether the traveler will get to his destination? And what mind would one have who starts wanting all kinds of annulment of the commandments, when by doing this he would immediately lose his way and be lost?

Once you have fully understood this assertion, do not worry if something in our teaching seems to be strict. The only thing you should strive for is to carefully make sure if it is from the Lord. And after you have made sure it is from the Lord, accept it with all your heart, no matter how strict or obliging it may be. And not only avoid wanting special treatment and leniency with doctrine and the ethics, but even flee from all these, as though fleeing from the fire of Gehenna. Those who cannot escape from this are those who think up such things and with them lure those who are spiritually weak to follow them. Amen.

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The Perils of New Age Pantheistic Monism

Pantheism and Monism: The Foundation of Immorality*

By Alexander Dvorkin, Professor of the University of Moscow

With the idea of “discovering of the Messiah within you” we approach two main axioms of the New Age, one flowing from the other. One of these is New Age (or pantheistic) monism: namely the belief that everything is united. While every sort of difference between different substances – “between Joseph and Judy, between Joseph and the tree, or between Judy and God”1 – all seem to be differences, nonetheless they are not. The significance of this dogma for New Agers is emphasized by Jonathan Stone, who considers it an essential component of the New World Order: “I feel that the World Order is approaching, in which science will merge with the monistic philosophy and a new consciousness will conquer the whole world. The distinguishing unifying characteristic of the World Order will be the belief that ‘all substances, all beings are one.’”2

Within this concept of monism there is no place for man, for the person. New Agers believe that apart from man there is no God, because man himself is God (the second claim of the New Age). Therefore, if someone examines it closer, it would appear that according to the New Age worldview neither man, nor God, nor the world exists. Author Betty Galyean writes: “When we start to realize that we are all God, that in all of us exist the capacities and qualities of God, then we start thinking that the purpose of human life is the return once again to the possession of the divinity within us, of Absolute Love, Absolute Wisdom, Absolute Understanding, Absolute Mind. We thus return to the creation itself of this ancient, this vital unity, which is also consciousness.”3

These are the New Age philosophical points. Their practical application appears, for example, in the already aforementioned film [Out On A Limb] of actress Shirley MacLaine (in the movie production of her own book) in the scene where she stands by the shore with her teacher and raising her hands screams with all her strength “I am God! I am God! I am God!” This is more or less what our old friend Ramtha** braggingly said through his hostess Ms. Knight in one of her appearances on TV, when she said, “What is called God exists in your essence. And that which is called Christ exists in your essence. And when you understand that you are God, you will acquire happiness.”4 However, to the New Agers, God is an impersonal absolute, indifferent to good or evil. Basically, each one of them is ready to endorse the thought of Ramakrishna who once declared: “The Absolute relates neither with good nor with evil… Whatever manner of sin, evil or torment we encounter in the world are only torments, evils or sin as they relate to us… I am afraid that you must accept the events that happen in the universe exactly as they are… I see, I understand that all three – the victim that is sacrificed, the altar on which he is sacrificed and the one that sacrifices him – constitute the same essence. Oh, what a vision!”5

The presence of such an absolute God as the only God justifies any manner of immorality. For example, here is what guru Rajneesh says to New Agers: “Bhagwan, you teach men to care for themselves before they care for others. It appears that this contradicts many world religions which teach to serve humanity. This not only goes against many religions, but against all religions. They all teach to serve others selflessly. In my opinion, selfishness is a natural phenomenon. Selflessness is something extrinsic. Selfishness is part of our nature… You must accept this. And if it is part of our nature, it must somehow be vital, otherwise it wouldn’t have existed at all. It is exactly because of selfishness that you survive, due to the fact that it was necessary to care for yourself. Otherwise, humanity would have vanished a long time ago… I am teaching you to be natural, totally natural, shamelessly natural. Yes, I teach you selfishness. No one has ever said something like this before me. They do not have the guts to say so. And they were all selfish! Why does a monk submit himself to torments? There is a reason. He wishes to reach paradise and all its pleasures. Of course, if you sacrifice seventy years of comforts for the sake of eternal graces, this is a good bargain. I don’t believe this is selflessness.”6

Every moral order disappears. Here is what A. Yakovleva, former senior editor of the leading New Age journal The Road to Yourself, says about herself: “I am not obliged to live with a man just because they once placed a stamp in my passport at the registry office or because we have children. I can get up and leave him anytime. For me, the word 'obligation' no longer exists. For me, only the word 'want' exists. And if still to this day I have not left my husband, it only means that I want to be with this person.”7

The notion of the reincarnation of souls makes every ethical issue relevant: in previous reincarnations, a man could have been a woman, a son and his mother could have been lovers, this is why now everything is determined by karma and everything is allowed. For example, here is what a spirit that goes by the name Zoli declares through an intermediary-medium: “Sex and sexual union – and it does not matter whether it is sex between a man and a man, a woman and a woman, or a man and a woman – is all communication… If there is respect between father and daughter, father and son, mother and daughter, mother and son and they are all at an age that permits them to enjoy sexual union, from the height of our understanding we absolutely do not see in it anything reproachable…. If, of course, it concerns children who have not yet come to an age that is psychologically appropriate for sexual union, then it is difficult to talk about respect. However, in such relations agreement is present. The child and the other person that performs the so-called offence agreed to take into consideration this intense emotion… It is a matter of mutual action, an interaction of karma and of energy.”8

The feeling of shame or of embarrassment that may occur after incest or a homosexual act, according to Zoli, is the result of the degenerate influence of the Judeo-Christian religious tradition. The spirit advises: “If so-called incest has taken place, above all try to overcome the feeling of guilt… The belief system that a society accepts is what causes the problem. The problem is not created by the action itself but by the feeling of guilt that follows.”9

* An extract from the twentieth chapter of the seventh part (pp. 732-734) of the book Sectology. Totalitarian Cults. Attempt in Systematic Research, by professor Alexander Dvorkin, written in Russian (third edition, edited and updated). The present English translation was translated from the Greek.

** Note: A spirit (according to New Agers) about 35,000 years old, which came in contact with Ms. Knight, a simple American housewife, and since then talks to the world through her.

1. Groothuis D. R., Unmasking the New Age, Downers Grove, III: Inter Varsity Press, 1986, pg. 18.

2. Stone J., SPS Journal, 1977, July. Attributed to Tucker. R. Strange Gospels, pg 338

3. Attributed to Adeney F., "Educators Look East", Spiritual Counterfeits Journal, 1981, Winter.

4. Brooks A. "Theology from the Twilight Zone", Christianity Today, 1987, September 18, pg 25.

5. Rollan P. The Life of Ramakrishna. The life of the Vivekananda (in Russian), Kiev 1991, pg. 165.

6. Bagvan Sri Raznish, Life, Love, Laughter (in Russian), Moscow 1993, pg. 70.

7. The Road to Yourself 1992, No. 5, pg 27.

8. As above, No 2, pg 32.

9. Same as above.

Source: Journal Parakatathiki: January-February 2006, Issue 46

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Panagia Nafpaktiotissa and the Battle of Lepanto

Panagia Nafpaktiotissa (Feast Day - October 7th or the Sunday following it)

The Battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October 1571 when a galley fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Spain (including their territories of Naples, Sicily and Sardinia), the Republic of Venice, the Papacy (under Pope Pius V), the Republic of Genoa, the Duchy of Savoy, the Knights Hospitaller and others, decisively defeated the main fleet of Ottoman war galleys.

The five-hour battle was fought at the northern edge of the Gulf of Patras, off western Greece, where the Ottoman forces sailing westwards from their naval station in Lepanto met the Holy League forces, which had come from Messina. Victory gave the Holy League temporary control over the Mediterranean, protected Rome from invasion, and prevented the Ottomans from advancing further into Europe. This last major naval battle fought largely between rowing vessels has been assigned great symbolic importance since then.

Some Western historians have held it to be the most decisive naval battle anywhere on the globe since the Battle of Actium of 31 BC. Historian Paul K. Davis has argued that: "This Turkish defeat stopped Turkey's expansion into the Mediterranean, thus maintaining western dominance, and confidence grew in the west that Turks, previously unstoppable, could be beaten."

The Holy League credited the victory to the Virgin Mary, whose intercession with God they had implored for victory through the use of the Rosary. Andrea Doria had kept a copy of the miraculous image of our Our Lady of Guadalupe given to him by King Philip II of Spain in his ship's state room. Pope Pius V instituted a new Catholic feast day of Our Lady of Victory to commemorate the battle, which is now celebrated by the Catholic Church as the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Read more on the Battle of Lepanto here and here.

There once stood in Nafpaktos, also known as Lepanto, a splendid Cathedral, built in the fifth century in honor of the Virgin Mary. Within its walls was the miraculous icon of Panagia Nafpaktiotissa, or the Virgin of Lepanto. Christians flocked to Nafpaktos by the millions from every corner of the earth, and the miracles worked there were innumerable.

The Greek Orthodox Church has also given credit of victory at the Battle of Lepanto to the Virgin Mary, especially the people of Nafpaktos (Naupaktos) who participated in this battle and would have been immediately affected had the Christians lost to the Ottomans. There were 8,000 Greeks who participated in this battle who also prayed to the Holy Virgin to save them from this Muslim invasion. The protectress of Nafpakto was Panagia Nafpaktiotissa, and Her intervention in saving Nafpaktos is celebrated annually either of October 7th or on the first Sunday following October 7th.

It is a sad afternote that in 1581 a terrible earthquake struck Nafpaktos, destroying the beautiful Cathedral of the Virgin Mary. The Brotherhood of Panagia Nafpaktiotissa at Holy Metamorfosis (Transfiguration) Monastery have plans to rebuild this church as the katholikon of their monastery. Read more here which also has much information on the history of the battle and the miracle.

To read about the 11th century origins of the Brotherhood of Panagia Nafpaktiotissa and the reason behind her intercessory icon position, read here.

Apolytikion in the First Tone
The throngs of Nafpaktiotes always are sheltered and safeguarded by thee, O Theotokos, Queen extolled above all hymns. For they have since ancient times held thy venerated icon as a treasure from which they draw divine grace and cures. Glory to thy Son and our Redeemer. Glory to thy majestic works. Glory to thy aid granted us, Nafpaktiotissa

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