Recently Father Panagiotes Carras of HOTCA (GOC) sent an email which contained an excellent homily against Name Worshippers written by Priest Andrew Phillips of the ROCOR. In order not to violate the copyright laws, I searched the Internet and found the source of this homily.
http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/nameworship.htm
A Note on the Heresy of Name-Worship
Conclusion
The abuse and misunderstanding of the so-called ‘Jesus Prayer’ (the prayer of the heart or noetic prayer, in traditional language) has caused it to be compared to Buddhism (so attractive to intellectuals because it is so easy and involves no change of way of life) and also to Hindu and Muslim practices. However, perhaps it is closest of all to Protestant pietism, with its ‘Jesusism’ and doctrine of automatic ‘personal salvation’ on confession of the Name of Jesus. It is perhaps in this context that we can understand its attraction to Neo-Platonist philosophers and intellectuals on the fringes of the Orthodox Church. The attraction of the unChurched to something as easy as repeating a prayer, without living in the Church context of discipline, the liturgical cycle, repentance, confession, prayer and fasting, is clear.
Please take the time to read this excellent homily. I have bolded the most striking points in Father Andrew Phillips' conclusion. Saying the Jesus Prayer can place one in an unholy trance where one feels that all is right when one is actually suffering from prelest and delusion.
