What is Wrong With Cyprianism?

[John Haluska]

Thank you.

For the "record", my name is:

John Haluska

[Noah]

Mr. Kissel,

I have refrianed from posting anything and just about reading anything in this site for months now. In fact when I decided I needed to refrain from either viewing or participating in this site's forum it was at the end of some Cyprian-focused threads that you and I had some back and forths on.

Part of what frustrated me about the accusations against "walling-off" ecclesiology were instances where I took personal insult to the content of the anti-Cyprian position. Mostly because it invalidated everything I had received prior in my OCA parish and the baptism (which the OCA deems unnecessary for just about everyone but Jews and Moslems) I was going to recieve to be a member of my ROCOR parish and all of the Mysteries I was going to be baptized for. I knew what I believed and why. I knew what I was ready to confess and I knew what I was ready to do. But I began to see the stark contrast between what my beliefs were and what the dominant views were on this forum. The moderators (yourself included) and CERTAINLY the administrator held views which were either apologetic or explicitly stated that where I was and where I was going may have been many positive things, but none of them were Orthodox. There even began an official endorsement by Euphrosyonscafe.com of anti-Cyprianism in its removal of links to Cyprian (previousely labeled "moderate") synods on the home page.

So, just as I would not spend my days on Roman Catholic forums trying to defend my faith against insults when I should be out growing and learning in my own faith instead, I decided it was necessary for me to cease reading and posting on this forum. I was, and am and will continue to be for as far into the future as I can see, far too weak in my knowledge of our Faith and its Traditions, and far too weak in my prayers and repentance to spend anymore time here. My spiritual problems needed immediate and urgent attention. As did my new family. But a few times I did become curious and checked to see if anything interesting was going on here (partly because in design, this is the nicest Orthodox forum on the web, and viewing other ones only reinforce the superiority of the desing of this forum), and the last time I checked in I saw the posts about the chaos at the Dormotion Skete and was simply aghast and was confirmed in my instinct to stay away from the site. But today, being Labor Day, ironically I had nothing to do and was bored so I stopped by and saw you had posted something new about Cyprianism.

I dont know if your post is implies an endorsement of the Cyprian ecclesiology, or simply you deciding to look again at it. I suppose in my absence you could have been an avid apologist for the Metropolitan, and you are repenting of that, but the replies dont seem to indicate this. I dont think that I will make a point of making this site regular surfing again, but I do want to say that in your repentance and your apologies, for the insult that I took from the few discussions I took part in on this site, you need not give an apology as I never found your tone to be condemnatory, nor your general mindset, which I never found to be antagonistically rigid. Nevertheless, as one who did breifly discuss this topic before, I hope you can forgive me for any hard heartedness or ill-feeling I conveyed in the past discussions. Of course you have my forgiveness and I will remember you in my prayers now. Please, if only once, remember me and my family in your prayers.

Faithfully yours in Christ,
Noah Barrett

[Justin Kissel]

At this point, I must also apoligize to those members of ROCOR who come to this forum. My questioning of the bishops in the path they are leading us on was wrong, and I apologize (and repent) for my lack of faith. I hope you can forgive me, they can forgive me, and that God will forgive me.

[Daniel]

To All,

I would like to, for the record, repudiate and repent of all that I have posted in this thread (and/or others) that is directed against either the person of or the position of Met. Cyprian of Oropos & Fili. If I have offended any one by what I have said against either the person of or the position of Met. Cyprian, please forgive me.

Daniel Ph.

[Justin Kissel]

I have been in the same position before Daniel. God bless you.

Justin

[Kollyvas]

Evlogeite.

I think if I were to charcterize my stance, I'd be a semi-kiprianite, because I remain in a jurisdiction not in resistance. I don't consider that heretical, for I am awaiting a Council and I have faith in the possibility of internal renewal. I don't compromise Orthodoxy. So I don't see myself as a heretic. I don't see my jurisdiction as heretical; although there are abuses which I speak out against which I believe could well indeed be condemned. I leave that to the Council, however, whose convocation I hope to work to encourage. I do recognize groups in resistance, especially those groups descending from ROCOR, including the Milan Synod; although I do feel fanaticism and other concerns disturb me in regards to hocna and the Lamians and Buena Vista, CO. I tend to also sympathize with priested Old Believers, and I feel their status needs regularization. There are claimants to Orthodoxy from the ofiesh and kopchak and uaoc and kp successions (essentially self-consecrators & vagantes) as well as priestless Old Believers and Old Catholics whom it would seem could benefit from Orthodox witness, but are outside the Church. I view the Non-Chalcedonians as schismatic but favourably disposed toward and amicable to reunion with Orthodoxy. I put this forward for discussion and welcome comment.
In The LOVE Of Christ,
Rostislav Mikhailovich Malleev-Pokrovsky

[Cyprian]

The amount of missionary work done by the legtimate Greek Old Calendarists and ROCiE, ROAC, etc is well- not very impressive at all.

It's not easy when you don't have masonic money backing you. It's no accident that heretical groups like the Kyprianites have slick videos, slick websites, and expansive missionary activity.

Verily they have their reward.