costaswright wrote:Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!
Nor is it proper to describe it as "his point of view." It is the Orthodox point of view, before the influence of Gnosticism and western legalistic and dualistic thinking.
Rd. Constantine
Dear Reader Constantine,
I have often followed the Toll House debates, mostly on the Indiana list. I have learned a lot from those discussions. But I don't think another discussion here would bear much fruit.
From about as far back as I can remember, in my childhood, I was taught that Toll Houses were a teaching of the Church and something we should think about. Maybe it is my baggage because I believe they are a teaching of the Church (I actually fully agree will OOD hear in that the problem with them, if there is one, is there expression and emphasis, perhaps leaning towards the over rational when trying to express the inexpressible). However, as convinced as I am by their reality, it is not an issue that is as black and white as other issues of distinction between what is Orthodox and what is not and I am not ready to, with a swipe of the hand, say that all those who disagree are not holding to true Orthodoxy. I have often seen your statements, like the one above ''nor is it proper to describe it as 'his point of view', it is the Orthodox point of view'' as a little arrogant in that, as boagatr pointed out with a few examples, there are a great, great many saints who disagree with you. Most obvious examples are of course the Russian saints of the last several centuries. Now I can understand you saying that they are under some non Orthodox influence in their teachings, whatever it may be, Gnostic, Western etc.., but to me they are great saints who reached theosis and communion with God and I do take there opinion into account, especially if it can be seen pretty consistently throughout the centuries, like the Toll Houses can. [Is that a run on sentence? 
]
Anyway, my point is that perhaps you could be a little more modest in stating your opinion as ''the teaching of the Church'' when it is in fact only your opinion, just as mine is only my opinion.
In Christ,
Nicholas (savva)
