The Fundamentals of Orthodoxy: Topics 1 - 7

Topic 1. Christian faith is at the same time trust in God and faithfulness to God. If a person believes in God, then he trusts God and remains faithful to Him by fulfilling His commandments. It is precisely such faith that is saving. Hence also the designation of people in relation to the Church of God: the faithful and the fallen away.

Faith is not something vague; we must clearly know in Whom (to Whom) we believe, how to live by faith, and what the true fruits of faith are.

Topic 2. Can a person have faith before Baptism?

He must. The presence of Christian faith is one of the conditions for Baptism (Mark 16:16). Infants are baptized according to the faith of their parents and godparents.

Evidence that the faith of the one being baptized is Christian is his confession of the Creed.

Questions and Answers 210 - 214

 

Question 210: I saw this new video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwg3TCt3Xe4) by Fr. Maggos from Annunciation Church in Rochester where he discusses the topic "Are There Ghosts in the Bible?" He emphatically says no, ghosts do not exist. What is your take on this?

Answer: I know nothing of the priest, but the video does a really horrible job treating the subject. In fact, it all comes off as very Protestant. I will treat this subject in a much more in-depth fashion hopefully in the near future, so I won't get into all the details here, but this subject is a much bigger subject than what is presented here, and only shows me that he has done extremely little to no research on the subject. First of all, ghosts are mentioned in the Bible in one way or another in more places than what he covers here, so he conveniently or ignorantly has skipped most of the best references, but only touched on the more well known passages of the Witch of Endor and the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. Second, in the Orthodox Church, we have a rich tradition of 2,000 years that has addressed this subject in various ways, so to skip over that and dismiss it while making a conclusion by only concentrating on a few select Scripture passages comes off as very Protestant to me and he barely touches the surface of the issue. Lastly, I will say that even the two examples he brings up show how much ignorance he has of the subject. Regarding the Witch of Endor, there have been various interpretations of that story, and while some Church Fathers dismiss that the ghost of Samuel appeared, not all do, and he doesn't mention that. But even worse, in his interpretation of the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, he completely misquotes what Jesus said. As opposed to what Fr. Maggos teaches, Jesus never said that there is a gulf between this life and the afterlife. I know many people misread this parable to say this, but it shows their unfamiliarity with the parable when they do it. In fact, what Jesus teaches is that there is a gulf between Abraham's Bosom (Paradise) where Lazarus is and Hades where the Rich Man is, so that Lazarus cannot cross over and grant relief to the Rich Man who is asking for it. When the Rich Man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to his relatives to warn them of their fate after death, Jesus denies the request not because it can't be done or because there is a gulf, but because people in Hades have lost all privileges of having their prayers answered, so instead of sending Lazarus, Abraham leaves the relatives of the Rich Man to their own fate. For these and other reasons, I find nothing good about this video, except the background spookiness, which is a plus for at least getting into the "spirit" of Halloween.

Questions and Answers 204 - 209

Question 204: Is it true that the miracle of the Holy Light (Holy Fire) in Jerusalem on Holy Saturday can only be done by an Orthodox Patriarch? The story of the Armenian Patriarch centuries ago seems to confirm it.

Answer: This belief or theory is based on a story or two, but it really is just an interpretation of those incidents. The truth is, we don't know. I think it could be dangerous and misleading to make such pronouncements based on an interpretation of events. Does the Holy Light appear because the Patriarch is Orthodox, or does it appear because the tomb of Christ has grace and it is the event of the resurrection that is confirmed, no matter who invokes God for the light. After all, the Armenian Patriarch still brought down the Holy Light, it's just that, according to the story, it occurred in a frightening and unusual way. Also, miracles happen among Catholics with the relics of true Saints that have nothing to do with confirming the belief system of those possessing them, though it may confirm their faith in the Saint who has the grace. There are many examples like this. It happens with Muslims too who put their faith in Christian Saints to help them. The same can be said with the Holy Light, that if someone merely believes in the miraculous nature of it, the miracle can occur without it necessarily affirming the belief system of the individual. The danger of saying the Holy Light comes down only for the Orthodox is if it happens one day with someone who is not Orthodox, then what will be the explanation? I prefer to say that the Holy Light has more to do with the location than the person who receives it, though it may also be true that the person does have something to do with it. Only God knows. Every other interpretation is an act of judgment, and such judgments are beyond my nature and ability due to my limited understanding of God's mind and intention.

Questions and Answers 198 - 203

Question 198: I noticed while I was recently in Greece that many monasteries and churches are difficult to reach, often requiring hikes up hills and mountains and climbing many stairs. Is there a reason for this?

Answer: "Monasteries are built on high ground, for people to climb upward," according to the words of a contemporary Elder. In other words, effort and toil are required for our own spiritual ascent as we strive to live a life pleasing to God, and for this effort we are rewarded with spiritual fruit, namely divine grace. The Christian (and even more so the monastic) way of life is not a casual stroll; it is a laborious ascent.

There are also historical and practical reasons for this. The higher and more secluded a monastery is, the more monastics can focus on their goal of living their lives completely dependent on God's will. Visitors are therefore minimized to those who truly want to go for the right purpose. Furthermore, the locations historically often offer natural safety and protection during war and pirate raids.

Questions and Answers 191 - 197

Question 191: How do I know I am reading the Bible, the Holy Fathers and the Lives of the Saints the correct Orthodox way?

Answer: If you are often wiping your eyes from the tears streaming down your face and your heart is moved with joy while reading, that is a sign you are on the right path.

Question 192: What do I say if a Muslim says to me that we both believe in the same God?

Answer: Just tell the Muslim how wonderful it is that they believe Jesus Christ is God, because Islam typically does not acknowledge the divinity of Christ.

Questions and Answers 185 - 190

Question 185: I've looked throughout your website to see if you have posted anything on the miracle of the Virgin Mary at Saydnaya Monastery in 2004 to a Muslim who was murdered and cut to pieces then miraculously restored and resurrected. As far as I know, this has never been confirmed as true, and wanted to know what you have to say about it. (If you are confused by what I'm referring to, the story can be read here: https://www.pigizois.gr/agglika/the_miracle_in_siria.htm).

Answer: Yes, I am familiar with this story. It received heavy rotation over a decade ago on the internet. No, I have not posted anything about it. The main reason I have not posted on it is because I wanted to see how things played out. To tell you the truth, I'm still waiting. That's not to say I don't believe the story, but I am skeptical of at least some details about it, to the point where I don't feel comfortable posting about it and even expressing my skepticism without any basis. However, I will point out two things of interest related to this story.

Questions and Answers 179 - 184

Question 179: Every Easter my parish reads the Resurrection Gospel at midnight outside in the courtyard of our church. What is the reasoning behind this?

Answer: The Matins Eothinon Resurrection Gospel, which you are referring to, is the only Matins Eothinon Gospel reading done outside the sanctuary in the entire ecclesiastical year. Every Sunday throughout the year during Matins there are eleven Resurrection Gospels that are read from inside the sanctuary in a cycle that renews every eleven weeks. Every Pascha the cycle is renewed with the reading of the first Eothinon Resurrection Gospel during Matins, and it is supposed to be read outside the sanctuary, preferably in the courtyard or in the narthex. The reason for this is because the procession outside is symbolic of a joyous action, and represents the Apostles being notified about the Resurrection in the Upper Room, and not at the tomb like the Myrrhbearers. It can also be seen as the Apostles bringing the Good News of salvation out into the world.

Questions and Answers 171 - 178

 

Question 171: I'm a recent convert to the Orthodox Church, but have noticed the same troubling dichotomy in the Orthodox Church that I find in all other Churches, where people are divided into conservative and liberal, particularly the clergy in social media I follow. I can't really put my finger on it, so I was wondering if you, who I find to be balanced, could help me understand how to distinguish between a conservative and liberal cleric.
 
Answer: The easiest way to make the distinction is to observe who they target as "enemies". A conservative Orthodox will usually target Catholicism and have an Evangelical leaning, while a liberal Orthodox will usually target Evangelicalism and have a Catholic leaning. - I'm sort of joking when I say this, but there is some truth to it. - Though there are indeed issues with both, you will be much happier as a newly-illlumined Orthodox Christian if you are "friends" or "followers" with clergy who focus more on bringing fellow Orthodox together rather than letting their politics manifest. Clergy on social media should not be heresy hunters, but church gatherers. If at the end of each day a cleric on social media helps to inspire and strengthen you in your daily path and life in Christ, then keep him as a "friend". If not, run for the hills.

Questions and Answers 160 - 170

 

 

On Wakes Before Funerals

 

Question 160: Should Orthodox Christians have wakes before funerals? What is the purpose of a wake? If so, should they be in churches or funeral homes?

Answer: The term "wake" is a synonym for "vigil", referring to an all-night prayer vigil held before someone's burial. There is a tradition in the Orthodox Church where before the funeral service an all-night vigil takes place in the presence of the reposed, which is complete with a Divine Liturgy. Included in this vigil is also a long series of readings - for clergy the entire New Testament is read, while for laypeople the entire Book of Psalms is read.

There is a misconception that the origins of wakes goes back to the 19th century, before common embalming existed after the American Civil War, and that it refers to the possibility of the deceased "waking up", since being buried alive was a common fear and worry.

Questions and Answers 155 - 159

Question 155: Have you read the following articles? My name is Irene and I'm an Orthodox Christian who is confused on what to believe regarding disease transmission via shared Holy Communion. These articles below have me a bit concerned and there seems to be no general consensus in the Church as of yet. I read your top 10 article about this matter and am in the process of reading your other one on Bio-Orthodoxy. Maybe you can post a response discussing these articles if you are so inclined as I really enjoy your writings.

Do the Sacraments prevent illness?
https://ocl.org/do-the-sacraments-prevent-illness/

A Note on the Common Communion Spoon
https://ocl.org/a-note-on-the-common-communion-spoon/

Questions and Answers 149 - 154

Sainthood of Constantine the Great

Question 149: Do you think we should reevaluate the sainthood of Constantine the Great?

Answer: People that tend to question the sainthood of Constantine the Great seem to be ignorant of his historical contribution, ignorant of the facts regarding his life, ignorant of what sainthood is, ignorant of what he has meant to the Church throughout the ages, and/or ignorant of the power of repentance. All of these are addressed at my Saint Constantine the Great Resource Page, and there is still much more to say, so look for updates there. With that said, there are certainly saints in the calendar that should be reevaluated, and I've addressed those on various occasions, but Constantine is not one of them.

Questions and Answers 143 - 148

A Saintly Example During the Coronavirus Crisis

Question 143: In Question 140 you mentioned that St. Mary of Egypt was not a good example to bring up that matches our situation with not receiving communion and going to church during quarantine. I was wondering if there is another example you could recommend?

Questions and Answers 134 - 142 (A Coronavirus Special Edition)

I received an email with a series of questions from a certain individual regarding the events we are currently going through with the coronavirus. I thought they were good questions that many Orthodox Christians are having right now and want some clarification about, so I selected some of them I believe are of general interest and provide my answers below.

Question 134: Is there an historical precedent for the closure of churches due to an epidemic? It doesn't seem right to me.

Questions and Answers 128 - 133

The Epistle of Jesus Christ

Question 128: On a recent trip to Greece I noticed many times a little pamphlet being sold alleging to be an Epistle of Jesus Christ, as it is called. I was wondering if it was Orthodox. Can you offer any information about this?

Answer: The pamphlet known as the Epistle of our Lord Jesus Christ has unfortunately been circulated throughout Greece for may decades, in fact, since at least 1896 (when it was published in its modern form). I remember back in 1991 when I was in Greece, I would see it everywhere, and when I went over people's houses, they kept it with their icons and Bibles. I read it back then, and dismissed it as an obvious hoax, but many people naively do not see it as being such an obvious hoax.

Questions and Answers 123 - 127

Priests and Over Political Priests

Question 123: I find it disturbing that an Orthodox priest told me on social media that you can't be a Christian and support President Trump. How would you respond to this?

Answer: I would find something like that disturbing as well. Priests like that should not be priests. They should not be dividing their flocks over political matters, nor should they even make public who they vote for or not and favor or disfavor. Hatred for the President is without any foundation unless you mindlessly believe a lot of propaganda, and there is no justification for it at all for a Christian, making his sins the only ones that he should worry about. It's something I can't even come close to comprehending. I've never come close to hating any President; frustrated, yes; disappointed, yes; disagreed with, yes; voted against, yes; but hate, never. If I were you, I would attend another parish if you belong to his parish. If this isn't possible, and the cleric who said this to you won't commune you for supporting your president and your country, then you should either confront them about this or report them to your bishop or archbishop. But if he is just a friend on social media, excommunicate him from your life and stop following him.

Questions and Answers 118 - 122

An Orthodox Christmas Greeting

Question 118: What is the proper Orthodox way to greet each other on Christmas and after? I heard "Christ is Born" is the proper Orthodox greeting?

Answer: I'm not sure when the greeting of "Christ is Born" with the response of "Glorify Him" on Christmas and after (according to some, till Theophany on January 6th, or according to others until the Meeting of the Lord on February 2nd) began, though we know it comes from the Christmas sermon of Saint Gregory the Theologian, but as a greeting it seems to be certainly of Slavic origin. I've been Greek Orthodox since I was born and never encountered this greeting until I went to seminary. Greeks usually just give a greeting equivalent to "Merry Christmas" or "Many Years." Personally, I don't think there is such a thing as an exclusively "proper Orthodox" greeting for Christmas. I usually just simply say "Merry Christmas" to everyone, though sometimes I may say "Christ is Born".

Questions and Answers 113 - 117

Psychic Abilities

Question 113: Do you believe psychics have real abilities?

Answers: It depends what you mean by "real abilities." I think a better way to ask the question, and what I think your implying, is whether or not psychics can predict the future. Let's be clear on one thing: many psychics are frauds. However, there are psychics out there who truly believe they have the ability to predict the future. It seems to me that what they do is follow their intuition, but they believe they have more accurate and sensitive intuitions than an average person, which is an ability they believe can be harnessed by anyone with some training, sort of like what they call a sixth sense. When they are wrong about something, they simply shrug it off as a misinterpretation of their intuition. Most psychics would not call this intuition, as they like to speak of it in spiritual terms, but I believe what they are speaking about is intuition. There could possibly be a demonic element as well, where a demon may suggest to them something they know will be true, and in this way deceiving both the psychic and the one getting their reading. This is true for mediums as well. I once knew a former professional psychic who converted to Christianity who explained to me that she now believed that when she was a psychic that it was a mixture of both intuition and demonic. When I was younger I myself was tempted with something that could be described as psychic ability when I was able to predict things that were virtually impossible to predict, but I quickly dispelled it and interpreted it as a demonic temptation.

Questions and Answers 108 - 112

Contradictions in the Gospels

Question 108: In the Gospels we have eye-witness accounts, yet there are contradictions in the accounts, such as in the accounts of the Resurrection of Christ. How do you explain this and does not this prove the Gospel accounts are untrustworthy?

Answer: In 1912 the Titanic sank. According to eye-witness accounts of the time, some said the Titanic sank in one piece, while others said the ship broke in half before it sank. We know now that the Titanic broke in half, then sank. Does this contradiction from the eye-witnesses mean that the Titanic never existed? Or that the Titanic never sank? Or that the eye-witnesses were lying and were untrustworthy? To all these questions, the answer is no, of course not. The reason this is so is because the eye-witnesses saw the sinking of the Titanic from different perspectives and vantage points. If you saw the Titanic sink from the front or back, or perhaps from a far distance, then you probably saw the Titanic sink as one piece from your perspective and vantage point, but if you saw it sink from the side, then you saw it break in half. Similarly in the Gospels, you have different eye-witness accounts written from different perspectives and vantage points, with apparent contradictions. For example, in one Gospel it says the Myrrhbearing women encountered two angels at the empty tomb of Christ, while another Gospel says there was one angel. This is an apparent contradiction, but it is in fact not a contradiction but a difference. In one Gospel account it says there are two angels, but only one angel is recorded to speak, but in the other Gospel account it only records the one angel speaking. The account which speaks of the one angel never says that there was only one angel, but it just stresses the fact that one angel spoke, and there could very well have been two angels, but it was not necessary to record there were two angels, whereas the other account wanted to be clear that there were in fact two angels. Yet we must also remember, none of the Myrrhbearers wrote a Gospel, so the Gospel writers were not recording something they saw or witnessed, but they are interpreting the oral account they heard, and so one emphasized one thing while the other emphasized something else about the same thing. Similar things can be explained with all the other apparent contradictions in the Gospels. What I would be more worried about is if all the accounts were in total agreement from perspective and vantage point, cause then they would be accused of conspiring and colluding.

Questions and Answers 103 - 107

The Difference between the Old and New Atheists

Question 103: How would you describe the difference between the old atheists and the new atheists?

Answer: The fundamental difference between the two, in a very simplistic way, is that the New Atheists believe religion and faith are in the way of human progress, especially the progress offered through science, and they attack religion of all sorts with the anger of a fundamentalist. The Old Atheists on the other hand wanted something more than what the religions of the world offered. Let us take Nietzsche for example. He believed that religion had moved beyond the concept of a God. He felt that the concept of a God inevitably undermined his religious insight, so he rejected all gods. Of course, he fully admits that gods might come in handy in the future. Essentially his main issue was with what he referred to as 'Christian monotono theism': the understanding of God which has become so prevalent that it makes spirituality stagnant rather than allowing us to fully embrace the ever-changing nature of existence.

Questions and Answers 98 - 102

The Miracle of the Snakes of Kefallonia

Question 98: Do you know why there is a decline in the number of snakes that are appearing in Kefallonia during the Dormition Fast?

Answer: I've been asked this a lot. Just so it is clear, snakes appear in two churches in Kefallonia during the Dormition Fast, both dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos. Nonetheless, there is indeed a decline in the number of snakes that appear. There are probably a few reasons for this. When I was there in 1991, I was told by locals how some snakes were found dead over the years, and even talked to someone who knew a guy that ran over one with a wagon, and they buried it with honors. This is at least one explanation - they are just dying off. Also, it has become very popular to attend these events, so the increase of people may play a factor too. I have also noticed there has been development and construction around the churches to accommodate the increase of people, which may be another reason the snakes do not appear as much. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next decade or two. When I heard the stories in 1991, I thought the miracle would come to an end in the matter of years, but here we are almost thirty years later and the snakes keep appearing.