Nicholas asked for my thoughts on the book, and suggested perhaps starting a new thread; being the type of fellow that I am--unfortunately prideful and someone who thinks his opinion might have an ounce of worth--I will certainly oblige. I hope this isn't a monologue, though. I know I tend to go on and on, and I tend to speak rather matter-of-factly or dogmatic-sounding, but I really don't mean to put-off other discussion on these subjects. If you think my view is poppycock, then say so Now, to the thoughts...
I read the literature against the concept of "toll houses" some time ago, which includes a number of books by Synaxis Press (e.g., the Toll-House Myth: The Neo-Gnosticism of Fr Seraphim Rose by Rev. Dr Michael Azkoul), and a number of online articles at various places. The book that created the big hubbub was The Soul After Death, by Fr. Seraphim Rose.
The main body of the work is really rather generally focused, and not directed towards proving one particular doctrine (Fr. Seraphim was not as obsessed with the concept of toll houses as some of his critics seem to be). If one had to divide the book up, though, I guess I would see it as having three major parts. Certain chapters deals with many of the New Age, Pagan, and secular attitudes about life after death. A second set of chapters expounds upon various doctrines concerning life after death, including the doctrine of the toll houses. The third set of chapters (and appendices) are a combination of a summary of the Orthodox view as held by Fr. Seraphim, and a number of additional apologetic documents.
I found the first set of chapters to be a bit dry--certainly much drier than I had expected. I also happened to be reading the (flawed) biography of Fr. Seraphim Rose, Not of This World at the same time, which probably helped me to keep a balance and understand where Fr. Seraphim was coming from when he was teaching what he was teaching. I thought this part of the book would perhaps be good for someone who thinks they've had "other wordly experiences" to read, though, to be honest, the conclusions arrived at by Fr. Seraphim would probably put-off most people (Fr. Seraphim believes such experiences to be usually the work of demons).
The second set of chapters deals with the Orthodox doctrines on life after death, everything from toll houses to the location of hell to souls wandering around after they leave their bodies. I found this chapter to be inspiring at times, and made me think about death a lot more--which is a wholly Orthodox attitude. We are told by many saints to always keep our own death or mortality in view, so as to avoid sin. I've seen many other people online who apparently had a similar experience to the one I had. On the other hand, a number of people find the toll house doctrine one that brings despair, and sometimes causes much confusion.
For my part, I view the toll houses in a more allegorical way than Fr. Seraphim Rose does, though allegory does not mean that the concept is any less real or trying. In the concept of going through the toll houses I see a representation of the particular judgment (indeed, even those who are less allegorical see the particular judgment and the toll houses as being closely related or connected; cf Fr. Michael Pomazansky, Orthodox Dogmatic Theology, [Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1997], p. 334).
Satan is a liar and the accuser of Christians, and takes every opportunity to attack us (Job 1:9-12; Jn. 8:44; 13:2; Acts 26:18; 2 Thes. 2:9; 1 Pet. 5:8 ). I see the toll houses, then, as an examination--an inspection of our fruit, or works, to use biblical language--which will happen after death. The "testing" is to see where we were on the path to salvation. When we get to heaven, and our whole life opens up and is revealed, this seems like the time that our sins and shortcomings will "attack us" (ie. attack our conscience). The accusations of the "demons" are real, and afflict our conscience and hearts. It is for us then to be sorry and repent of our sins, asking forgiveness and admit our failures on certain points. Rather than demons directly accusing us, then, as though in a debate, it will, IMO, be more like the most revealing, most sincere introspection we've ever done. And now we will be able to see our sins and shortcomings not by our own earthly, subjective standards, but by God's standards--or at least, by the standards that are as close as humans can get to God's standards.
This view would help explain why praying for the "dead" is beneficial, when we Orthodox simultaneously say that there is no purgatory. What will happen then is not punishment, but the purify of our beings through testing and trial. In Paul's letter, even the saints, with their good works, must go through "the fire"--that is, the testing (1 Cor. 3:11-15; cf Wis. 3, among a great number of other places). The prayers can therefore comfort the one being tried, and even act as a demonstration of the good that the person did during their earthly lives (ie. the greater and more fervent the prayer for someone "dead," the greater the effect they probably had in this life). But, this is obviously my own fallible view, and I don't claim it to be any better than Fr. Seraphim's--it's just an alternative view. I think Fr. Seraphim's view is definately a tenable view within the Orthodox Tradition.
Anyway, back to the book The third set of chapters gives a summary of the Orthodox view on the soul after death, and also gives various apologetic and informational texts. By far the most beneficial of these texts can be found in Appendix 1, which contains large excerpts from two homilies concerning purgatory by Saint Mark of Ephesus. After reading these texts, I immediately felt the urge to get the full version of the homilies as quickly as I could. They are beautifully written and very informative, and add a wonderful touch to the book.
All in all, I thought the book was a good read, as far as gaining information went. I personally found it to be dry, though that's perhaps because I don't find the subject material that is dealt with to be very interesting. I'd suggest that younger Christians (like me! ) should probably stay away from this kind of book, if only because it's so controversial and hard to grasp. If the whole "toll house" hubbub is driving you crazy, though, I'd definately suggest reading the book (so that at the very least some misrepresenations can be cleared up).
Justin
Ps. Please forgive the grammatical and spelling errors.