NC's "arguments" against us OCs (Paisios the Agiorite)

[Zilot_Constantinos]

Dear brothers and sisters, dear friends,

a few days ago I have read an article about the new calendarist Monk Paisios the Agiorite, whom is revered as saintly by the new calendarists.

http://vatopaidi.wordpress.com/2009/04/ ... endarists/

In this article and in various other articles he claims old calendarists are graceless and says:

“It would have been good if this calendar difference did not exist, but it is not a matter of faith”. In the objections that the New Calendar was done by a Pope he would reply: “The new calendar was made by a Pope and the old one by an idolater,”

As an old calendarist I would say:

With the introduction of the new calender the state church of Greece broke with the holy tradition of the church and destroyed the dogma of the church's unity.

What is the best argument against the assertion that the old calendar is bad because it was made ​​by an idolater?

When I was asked that, I answered that the new calender church broke with tradition, is fallen into ecumenism and they are running after the Pope, that means they are following the Popes' heresies and the pan-heresy of ecumenism, which is from the devil!
Other people say, we are shismatic but we have maintained the tradition. Those who have introduced the new calendar, have provoked a schism, cause of destroying the unity and catholicity of the church!

The result is: The poeple who destroy the one church cannot have grace.

As far as I know the cyprianites say that the EP, MP and others are only "sick members of the one church".

And we (GOC-Kallinikos) say that the NCs are graceless cause of breaking with tradition.

A new calendarist told me: "How should I know which one of the various old calendar groups I have to believe? They do not even recognize themselves at each other."

I told him about Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Florina, told him about the history and origin of the old calendarists and why we are true orthodox.

I want to know more what I can say when I get asked this. And what's with Paisios' argument in case of Julius Caesar?

I hope you have got my main question. my english is not the best.

Greetings

Zealot Constantinos

[Ephrem]

The Julian Calender was sanctified by the Church's using it throughout its entire history. It was the calender whereby all of our Holy Fathers celebrated the feasts and the memories of the Saints. Furthermore, it was defended by the Orthodox on three separate occasions in the sixteenth century. The Orthodox even condemned use of the papal calendar. Paisios's argument that an idolater created the Church calendar is superfluous. The Church did not accept the Julian calendar because it wanted to celebrate feasts with pagans and call them brothers. Yet, we all know that the New-Calendarists accepted the pope's calendar in order to pray with him.

Paisios and others like him are heavily supported by the New-Calendar Church precisely because of their indifference to the faith.

A good read concerning Paisios is A Letter of Resistance by Elder Sabbas, Monk, wherein a zealot Father of Mount Athos speaks directly concerning Paisios and his arguments. You can find this letter on the Esphigmenou Monastery website (http://www.esphigmenou.com) under the section called "What the dispute is about and why the monks are right", or I could send it to you.

[Ephrem]

As for your friend's question about which jurisdiction to go to, this argument is a way for us to get out of our responsibility to Christ. Don't we already know the answer, though? We go where the Truth is, which Christ is. Christ is where? Where His commandments are being kept, and where the faith He left to the Apostles is preserved inviolate. It is very simple, really, but the Devil prefers us to be confused and despairing.

Of course, you always have schisms, but they never keep the faith for long. You can know them by this fruit.

For instance, look at all the religions. One asks, "where do I go?" The answer is obvious: go to the true religion. Can a man defend himself by saying, "but they all claim this. They all say that the others are wrong!" Of course, this is not a real excuse. Christ tells us that if we seek, we will find, and that the door will certainly be opened to those who knock. Only, we have to be brave in our seeking, and knock without self-regard. If we are willing to be honest and simple, and if we are looking because we fear God, and not because we are seeking honors or pleasures, then without fail Christ will bring us to Himself.

[Mark Templet]

Ephrem speaks the truth.

The matter of the calendar is quite simple when you boil it down. It wouldn't have mattered if the Church had decided to use the Chinese calendar, the point was that at the First Ecumenical Council the Church said we will have one system of our cycles and feasts and they happened to base it on the calendar of the Roman Empire. Its accuracy or origin is beside the point-- it became the Church's sacred calendar that unified the Body of Christ in the sanctification of time. The Church was one because on the same day all of Her children fasted or feasted and celebrated the memories of the same events and saints. This worked just fine for the Orthodox Church for 1923 years.

So ask your friend, or anyone else in the NC, this question: What problem is solved by moving to the new calendar? When they can't answer that question ask them what the motivations might be then to change something so important after 1923 years. Then just walk away. If the answer to that question is not important to them then anything else you could tell them or that they would tell you is pointless and a waste of breath.