Is GOARCH’s “PRAXIS” Magazine Going New Age?

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Maria
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Is GOARCH’s “PRAXIS” Magazine Going New Age?

Post by Maria »

    • “Consider a statement more deeply, look at sources more carefully, and study them…deepening our knowledge of Orthodox Christianity to the fullest extent possible and continually. Don’t put words in the mouth of the Church if you’re not sure that the Church didn’t say it.” (Fall 2013 issue of Praxis)

The Spring 2015 issue of Praxis, the official magazine of the Department of Religious Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, is dedicated to the subject of “Spiritual Disciplines.” Archbishop Demetrios of America and Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco introduced this special issue with encouraging comments. I looked forward to reading about Orthodox Christian practices from Orthodox educators, theologians and pastors.

As I turned the pages, I came across the leading article by Kyriakos Markides, entitled “The Emerging Reconciliation Between Religion and Science.” I was surprised by the subject matter of the article that didn’t seem to relate to the subject of “Spiritual Disciplines.” . . . In all sincerity, I was especially surprised by the name of the author, familiar to me from his books and the controversy surrounding him. After a careful reading of the article I felt compelled to comment on its author and its content.

Continue reading this excellent article written by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis by clicking the link below:
http://www.orthodoxwitness.org/goarch-p ... g-new-age/

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

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Barbara
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Re: Is GOARCH’s “PRAXIS” Magazine GOing New Age?

Post by Barbara »

This Orthodoxwitness.org is Fr Emmanuel's website in which the critique of the GOA's PRAXIS magazine and particularly the article by Kyriakos Markides appear.
I looked up Fr Emmanuel and saw he is a GOA priest originally from Crete who has written a few books, available on amazon.

Well, it's refreshing to find Fr Emmanuel citing Fr Michael Pomazansky's Orthodox Dogmatic Theology. { Ha! I see a newer cover pictured than my edition of the book has. }.

That illustration at the top of the article underlines the article's point, showing a 'meditating' figure imprinted with a seated Buddha and Kabbala design with some vaguely Hebrew letters floating around the image. The suggestion seems to be that Praxis has gone that direction by allowing Markides to write in it.

It's a robustly presented article which exposes divergences from real Orthodoxy. The reader realizes from the comments, too, that such a vigorous defense of traditional Orthodoxy must be getting as unusual in World Orthodoxy as the Koh-i-Noor diamond. And therefore, as valuable.

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Cyprian
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Re: Is GOARCH’s “PRAXIS” Magazine Going New Age?

Post by Cyprian »

I don't bother reading "Praxis" because the GOARCH went new age decades ago, before I was even born. It is not a recent phenomenon. Perhaps it is just more blatant or obvious these days.

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Barbara
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Re: Is GOARCH’s “PRAXIS” Magazine Going New Age?

Post by Barbara »

Interesting observation. Could it be, then, that GOA was hiding all this ? Only now, when it's become American mainstream, this gobbledygook is emerging in their publications ?

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Re: Is GOARCH’s “PRAXIS” Magazine Going New Age?

Post by Cyprian »

What the GOA has not hid, but should be plain for all lovers of truth to see, is that they have been ecumenist heretics for decades. That would include the ecumenist heretic John Romanides, who was Professor of Dogmatic Theology at Holy Cross seminary in the 1950's and 1960's, the lifting of the anathemas in 1965, joint prayer with Pope John Paul II at his World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi in 1986, etc.

I don't wish to spend time concerning myself with analyzing all their old publications determining the precise progression of their descent into promoting demonic new-age belief. The Greek Archdiocese are heretics, plain and simple, and have been for more than 50 years. True Orthodox Christians should not even care about reading their garbage publications. There are thousands of holy and edifying writings by God's saints, and yet people have this satanic obsession with wanting to read everything that is new and recent, as if that is somehow better.

It is harmful and a waste of time to read the likes of Romanides, Metallinos, Vlachos, Ware, Meyendorff, Schmemann, Hopko, and renovationists of their ilk.

If folks would cease reading and promoting these ecumenists, occultists, and masons, and confine the majority of our reading to genuine Holy Fathers of the Church, universally recognized for their sanctity and piety, we likely would not live in such dangerous, discouraging, and disheartening times.

Last edited by Cyprian on Mon 19 March 2018 9:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Cyprian
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Re: Is GOARCH’s “PRAXIS” Magazine Going New Age?

Post by Cyprian »

...

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Barbara
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Re: Is GOARCH’s “PRAXIS” Magazine Going New Age?

Post by Barbara »

Thanks for your excellent insights, Cyprian. Appreciate that.

So Met Hierotheos Vlachos is in the same boat, then ? I was under the illusion that he was a little more traditional, while still New Calendar Greek. But that impression only came from reading the MP's outreach website, Pravoslavie.

You answered why people run after these popular names : to have the latest info or confer about the newest release of so and so. Useful perspective, indeed.

It seems that we TOC's need much better outreach to shake the converts out of the comfortable cocoon of doing and reading what 'everybody else' is talking about. I am assuming this is primarily a convert situation.

Metallinos ? What a name. I have never heard of him.

I am worried that the GOARCH will start infusing awful New Agey references to things like "shamans" in their material. Why ? I will write about this topic in an upcoming post. Suddenly the coolest thing in liberal quarters is to have both a priest and a 'shaman' participate in ceremonies or consecrations or 'blessings'. Watch out for this nefarious trend which may already be taking shape backstage.

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