GOA Website Article

[Daniel]

So you deny the Divine Grace within His Saints?.

Of course not.

Would you not believe what Saint Nicholas Planas of Athens has said? "What is uncanonical will fall

Why would I not believe this? Christ did say that the gates of hades will not prevail over the church. But this does not mean I will sit idlely by when bishops left and right forget what has be intrusted to them

So why care what our bishops do, they will be judged by God Himself, because they have a greater word and testifications for themselves when Judgement comes.

Why? Because were the bishop is there is Christ, there is the Church as St. Ignatius tells. But he also says that if even a bishop works wonders and such but preaches heresey to flee from him as if from a wolf

How able will you be when Christ comes? Will He ask you what calendar you have practised Orthodoxy with? Not really.

To answer this I will quote from St. Ambrose of Optina's prophecy on the 'end-times':

If you live to see that time, rejoice, for at that time the faithful who possess no other virtues will receive wreaths for merely remaining steadfast in their faith, according to the Word of the Lord, "Everyone who confesses Me before men, I will confess before My Heavenly Father". Fear the Lord, my son, and don't lose this wreath so as to not be rejected by Christ into the utter darkness and eternal suffering. Bravely stand in faith, and if necessary, joyfully endure persecutions and other troubles, for only then will the Lord stand by you...and the holy Martyrs and the Confessors will joyfully watch your struggle.

[romiosini]

Lord Have Mercy!

[OrthodoxyOrDeath]

romiosini,

I could use all of your arguements to show that you should be a Latiin.

[Justin Kissel]

So why care what our bishops do, they will be judged by God Himself, because they have a greater word and testifications for themselves when Judgement comes.

Every member of the body of Christ is a cell. Nothing that one member does is done in isolation--from the most recognizable bishop to the unheard-of hermit--they all effect the body. And now, now what I see is limbs that have been torn from the body, and are laying bloody on the floor. There is a hand. There a foot. I care about the body of Christ. I even try--in spite of my pride--to care about all of mankind. That's why I care what bishops do. That's why I'm even willing to risk my salvation to say something about what bishops do. Sometimes the laity rise up and cause unimaginable confusion and sin. Sometimes they bring the Church back to experiencing the full energy of Orthodoxy. I've taken the stupid course of looking into all sorts of complicated issues. Now, I can't stop midstream--for that I would certainly be judged. Once you have a talent in your hand, you can't bury it in the ground.

[romiosini]

Lord Have Mercy!

[Daniel]

There can be priests who are ecumenists and be very spiritual, such as Anastasios of Albania.

I'm sure Arius, and Nestorius, and those with them were very spiritual, that doesn't make them Orthodox.

I also don't understand quite how one is unloving because he seperates from a (False) Bishop who preaches a condemned heresy. Was the Church unloving when it condemned Arius and his heresy?