"Some characteristics of clergy not to trust"

A Sharing from Vladyka John of Melbourne: "Some characteristics of clergy not to trust"... « Australian and New Zealand Diocese - Russian Orthodox Church Abroad    Inbox

Dan Everiss <oregdan@hotmail.com> Thu, Feb 2, 2017 at 11:17 AM Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Print | Delete | Show original My added comment: A timely warning; as we and our world-wide ROCA faithful clergy and flock are under daily attack, to remind us to be sober and  alert and on our guard, especially applicable for our deceptive current times. We need to differentiate genuine pious Orthodox priests and bishops from those many false-shepherds, those wolves in sheep's clothing, as those currently making unjustified and pride-filled power oriented  schisms  in our church, who are clearly inspired and mis-directed from outside forces,  including the devil.  What all, in summation,  they are doing:  is dividing and destroying our little continued ROCA, not at all purifying or improving it, or 'saving'  it. They misquote or misapply and then themselves  break every canon, indeed instituting new heresies, while falsely  claiming that our Metropolitan is doing such.  He is not  doing those crimes, but THEY are!  They reject solid Orthodox respect and obedience to LAWFUL EPISCOPAL AUTHORITY.  They thus prove, by their own statements on their web-site and elsewhere, that they are NOT ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS!  They have ignorantly and foolishly constructed a different & heretical definition of The Church and its government, than the one installed by Christ and His Apostles. "WHERE THE BISHOP IS, THERE IS THE CHURCH!"....that is Orthodox doctrine. Their jumbled and disorganized listing of Met. Agafangel's supposed canonical crimes & his 'dictatorial-power abuse'  infractions, is a list of malicious nonsense and concocted distortions and plain lying libelous slanders, basically just pure rubbish!  THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT ON EARTH THEY ARE EVEN TALKING ABOUT! Their church and soul destroying efforts, i.e. of the so-called ridiculous 'Mountain View Schismatics', headed by two renegade former bishops, though they may appear as righteously and intelligently working at something pious, is in fact, giving much joy to Hilarion Kapral, & his 'Mother Church', the  KGB-MP and to the neo-soviet dictator Putin government,- to his 'Russian World',  who only want the total end of our or any, opposition to them.  They are apostates on the side of the Devil, we are on the side of God... .if we continue to obey God.  Vladyka Metropolitan Agafangel and our loyal Holy Synod, DO OBEY GOD! Them, we must obey and follow. "Ye must be wise as serpents, but harmless as doves". Rd. Daniel Everiss http://australiaorthodoxroca.org/?x=entry:entry170202-041056 + Australian and New Zealand Diocese - Russian Orthodox Church Abroad Thursday, February 2, 2017 Some characteristics of clergy not to trust… The lives of saints provide lessons for all aspects of our lives. Therefore we should be reading them daily. Not only do we learn what kinds of trials face Orthodox Christians on their path through life, but we are also educated in the nature and practice of love, and are given examples of how to pray, be obedient, discern falsehood or demonic activity, how to be humble, forgiving, and patient, while strictly maintaining the Orthodox faith in all fullness. After the 2007 union with Moscow, people of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, due to understandable and profound disappointment, have become cautious in trusting clergy. It has been a difficult time for us all. However, it is important for us to continue to learn traditional Orthodoxy, and direct our lives accordingly. A “modern approach” will eventually will lead us away from the Church. For example, we should be aware that the valuable accounts from the lives of saints in fact give hundreds, if not thousands of examples of what kinds of clergymen (and lay people!) not to trust. For example, in the life of St Athanasius the Great, archbishop of Alexandria (296-373), we read about the heretic Arius: …spurred on by ambition, he sided at first with Meletios, a schismatic, and then with Archbishop Peter of Alexandria, who ordained him a deacon. He was reconciled with another schismatic, Achillas, who raised him to the presbyterate… Today, the Church unfortunately sees many “adventurers” among the clergy, who will join one jurisdiction after the other, often due to ambition. This kind of personal-ecclesiastical history is a ‘warning flag’ for us. At the same time, there exist many laymen and clergy who have turned away from the falsehood of ‘world orthodoxy’ or heterodox faith, and embraced true Orthodoxy. These are distinguished by their humble and consistent work for the Church of Christ, which is often not very spectacular. Arius, on the other hand: …was not so well versed in understanding Scripture as he was crafty and a vessel of the devil, skilled at instigating scandals…a popular teacher…his teachings began to incite controversy…he made many disciples…his beliefs circulated in the mouths of many….he filled Egypt with tumult and confusion…his ideas we widely accepted… Moreover, Arius and his followers were great publicists: …they did not cease, on a daily basis, creating stumbling blocks, with the intention of not only having the saint exiled from his throne, but also from the city, and if possible even to deprive him of life itself…they enlisted whomever they could in Alexandria to defame the bishop… The righteous very often endure unjust and false slanders. This is a sign to take note of: …they accused him of crimes…compelling the bishops and priests to hand over a tax…plotting treachery against the Emperor…that Athanasius was avaricious…against the holy archbishop every charge that could be contrived was laid at his door…primarily harshness and violence in dealing with those who took up Ischyras’ case (a man who posed as a priest without ordination, who vacillated between two schismatic groups and the Orthodox church)…reports circulated that Athanasius contracted to have killed [Arsenios, Bishop of Hypsele, who had been bribed to go along with the following plot]…it was alleged that one of the victim’s hands was severed for use in magic ceremonies…this ridiculous rumour was bruited about…threatening, insulting and reviling him, saying, “Magician, swindler, charlatan, hypocrite, mischief-maker!” The Church of Christ has lived through many confusing moments, when people were unsure what to believe and whom to trust. Let us make these vital decisions with sobriety, based on Scripture, the writings of the Holy Fathers, and the history of the Church, including the lives of the Saints. Evsevios of Nikomedia and Theognos of Nicaea, filled with notions of their own importance, used all their influence against the advocates of homoousion. On account of the maneuvering and sophistry of Evsevios of Caesarea, many were swayed who went on thinking that they were in accord with the Orthodox view and the Nicene Creed. The substance of the mischievous controversy was, to many, misrepresented and never fully explained. St Athanasius governed the Church of Alexandria for 46 years. Seventeen of these years, he was exiled from the city, and most his reign passed under the shadow of continuous troubles. But the Church recognises him as one of the greatest saints and confessors of Orthodoxy in Her history. Posted by rocaau at 04:10:56 in Modernism vs Church Tradition, History of the Church, Contemporary issues