The strange, sad case of the defrocked deacon, Lev Puhalo

[moschonisi]

Rostislav:

You remarks are appreciated immensely! Really, I have no particular issues with what they did -- it is their Indiana Jones "show," and they can run it however they want. What is interesting about the whole thing is the three separate people who contacted me via e-mail and asked me why I did not take on the challenge. When I informed them that I did and provided a response, however it was not posted, they asked for it and luckily I had kept it and passed it on to them. Thus, there may be a few souls that do care.

I fear for my brethren and my heart is heavy because pseudo-hierarchs like Puhalo would be non-existent just 20-30 years ago. They simply could not have survived the Holy Synods of those days for practically any jurisdiction, even OCA. Today, however, they are called theologians and “masters.” When I saw reader-boy apply to him as “master” I could not help but think of the Kung-Fu series that run on American TV many moons ago, when a young David Carradine was learning the secrets (of deception) by his “master.” See, ecumenism does work: what applied to Kung-Fu and Caradine now applies to Puhalo and reader-Constantine.

I hear he is Serbian, but even his people wish NOTHING to do with him. Is that not telling to his boyish fans? Are they that much mesmerized by him? He must have some type of talent to attract so many of what appears to be intelligent beings into his heretical camp...

Here is another thought a friend of mine had on the Indiana List fiasco. His question (or rhetoric) was simply stated as "what would these people think when St. Nikolaos struck Arius during their exchange for the well known Arian heresy (and was subsequently jailed)?" I bet most of them do not even know the entire story… And I guess the Indiana List Puhalites would call him a fraud and crazy zealot as well?

===

St. Nikolaos was known for his zeal for the truth. He attended the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, Asia Minor which met to settle the Arian heresy. In his anger against Arius, St. Nikolaos arose and struck him (A Daily Calendar of Saints by Farley).

Because he had violated the law forbidding violence during Council Sessions and against another hierarch, St. Nikolaos was confined to a cell by the emperor. That same evening, the prison guard saw a great light in the Saint’s cell and stared through the bars of the door and saw angels hovering about St. Nikolaos while the Blessed Virgin Mary was placing about his shoulders the vestment worn by bishops. Then the Lord Jesus himself appeared and presented the Saint with a gold bound copy of the Holy Bible while comforting him with words of Divine Love and Wisdom.

Upon hearing of these occurrences, the Emperor ran and saw the Saint wearing the Bishop’s vestment and reading the Bible. The emperor fell to his knees and begged forgiveness. St. Nikolaos was immediately released.

[Kollyvas]

Evlogeite.

mr. puhalo is not a Serb. His original name was Ronald Haler--his son's name is Ron Jr. No, he comes from a protestant background and he definitely still has not converted...
R

[Kollyvas]

St. Nektarios would weep--R

http://orthodoxcanada.org/QA.html

...Another unfortunate tendency that facilitates both Scholasticism and Gnosticism is the habit of naming practically every 19th and 20th century saint a "father of the Church." In fact, many of the most venerable saints of those two centuries had very poor theology because they were educated in a heavily scholastic seminary system. The fact that many of their teachings do not accord with the consensus of the holy fathers seems not to be evident to many. One is not a "father of the Church" unless his teachings are in accord with the ancient fathers. Thus, one finds the teaching of soul/body dualism in many 19th century writings, even though such a teaching was condemned by every one of the holy fathers who ever wrote against Gnosticm. ...

I wonder if he's read Fr. Romanides, Fr. Metallinos, +Metropolitan Hierotheos, et al but does it really matter?! The spirit which infected makrakis lives again.
ORTHODOXIA I THANATOS!
Rostislav Mikhailovich Malleev-Pokrovsky

[Kollyvas]

From +Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos) of Nafpaktos:

...Soul and body

-As long as you have been speaking about the soul, something has been troubling me, said Fr. Philip. Why are you examining the soul separately from the body? Are they truly separate and independent of one another?

-Of course, they are not independent. The soul is very closely connected with the body. The Fathers say that it happens with the soul what happens with an iron in a brazier; it becomes fire through remaining iron by nature. The soul is everywhere in man's body. The fact that the soul gives life to the body joined to it proves that man was made in God's image to a greater degree than were the angels. This is why in the Orthodox Church we say that the illness of the soul affects also the body, just as the illness of the body sometimes affects the soul. Due to this inner bond it happens that, although the soul wants to attain communion with God, the body, on account of the passions, refuses to follow the course of the soul and thus a physical fatigue occurs. Then we realise that although the soul feels rather healthy, nevertheless the body feels ill and weak. What the Lord said holds: "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Mat. 26,41). For this reason the Orthodox tradition establishes that the course of the soul is to be parallel with that of the body. Hesychasm cures also the body in various ways and methods in order to reach communion with God. And when man receives the grace of God, then the body also undergoes change. We see this in the Transfiguration of Christ, when His face shone as the sun. We see it in the case of Moses, whose face shone brilliantly, as also in the face of the Archdeacon Stephen, which became as the face of an angel. Consequently there is a clear distinction between the soul and the body, but it is not possible for both of them to exist independently of each other. Furthermore, even at death the soul "is violently separated from the harmony and affinity of this natural bond". And this separation occurs "by divine will". Thus the soul is not man but the soul of man; and the body is not man, but the body of man. Man consists of soul and body, he is a psychobiological being. Therefore, the body will be deified also and it will be resurrected at the Second Coming and will pass into eternity. ...

[moschonisi]

"His original name was Ronald Haler--his son's name is Ron Jr..."

Where is the Mrs.?...

I had NO idea. He was married and also not a born Orthodox but a convert? Did his wife pass on? Where did I read he was of Serb descent or did I summize it wrong from his association with the schismatics in the Free Serbian group?

The ex-protestant (thinking) explains a lot... And you are correct that he is 100% on his own realm and far away from any respected theologians. I have also heard that Metropolitan Hierotheos knows of him and his "theology" quite well. His Eminence does come to the US periodically. and it would be nice to discuss mr. Puhalo with His Eminence and see what our brethren in Europe know / think.

Why did he change his anme to puhalo? Was it to add some Orthodox credibility? Also, is his son a "monk" with him?

BTW, Metropolitan Hierotheos' book on "Life After Death" is a must for ANY Orthodox library. It easily explains it all and puts mr. Puhalo's theories where they truly belong.

[尼古拉前执事]

Диакон Никола wrote:

It should be noted that he, along with HOCNA not only disparage the
Toll-Houses and Blessed Augustine, but teach evolution. I am

Of course he teaches evolution. Why wouldn't he? One might as well ask why he doesn't teach that the Sun revolves around the Earth, as St. John of Damascus taught.

In the Joy of the Fleshed Lord Jesus,
Rd. David-Constantine

Please read this for just a few reasons why Orthodox Christian theology has never embraced Darwinism http://orthodoxcreationism.blogspot.com/

[CorpusChristi]

If were are still talking of ArchBishop Lazar(as sometimes the treads change considerately) , his Matushka passed and the monastery he runs only takes in those who have lost there wives, everyone there has been married and suffered much thru it...