Good Works of Ecumenists and Heterodox Gain Nothing

[Barbara]

^ Now THAT IS a prayer I HEARTILY agree with !
Essential for us to all make, whenever convenient. Great idea.
Thanks for all this background.

I did NOT realize that this type of accusation had been directed at St Nectarios of Aegina.
I thought it was mismanagement of his Diocese, which is today's Libya.

I always DO associate St Nectarios with persecution ; now I see it's even a worse case.
That is SO EVIL to falsely accuse a hierarch of THAT.

Stay tuned for a quotation about slander.
It is not from a Father, I hasten to warn readers.
Instead, surprisingly, a physician with immense perceptivity and insight into the CORE of WHY individuals do these
dreadful things. Or let's say, the dynamics working around such gossipers/ maligners.

[Believe it or not, it is an American. The only time in recent years I would quote a citizen of the U.S.
He died in 1950 or so,
hence not from THIS era.]

[Matthew]

Actually, I think St Nektarios of Aegina's original jurisdiction was Alexandria Egypt, not Libya, but I stand to be corrected.

[Maria]

Actually, I think St Nektarios of Aegina's original jurisdiction was Alexandria Egypt, not Libya, but I stand to be corrected.

St. Nectarios was Bishop of Pentapolis and lived in Alexandria, Egypt where there was a significant very wealthy Greek population. With the persecution by Muslims, I think many may have moved back to Greece or to the USA.

[Cyprian]

Do you see what I am getting at? We should respect all faiths, and not judge.

Dear Angela,

I see exactly what you're getting at, and I strongly disagree. If I respect other faiths, I disrespect my own. Orthodox Christians should not respect other faiths! How silly it is to think that we are not to make judgements regarding the differences in faiths! We most certainly are to make judgements about other faiths. A lack of understanding about such a basic tenet of Orthodox Christianity speaks volumes as to why it is necessary to flee the soul-destroying New Calendarists.

Cyprian

[Matthew]

I would like to put in my two-cents opinion. I think there is some room for differences in opinion about how we respond to adherents of other Faiths.

First:
In some cases, saints have shown great respect for the feelings of others regarding their false religion--so that they would not unnecessarily wound them and also so that by using the honey of kindness rather than the vinegar of a full frontal assault, they might attract them and win them over to the True Faith and lay aside their false religion. Of course, the saints did not downplay or whitewash the lies of the false religions, but they spoke the Truth in a demonstrably loving manner.

Second:
In other cases, the saints mocked the idols of the Pagans, mocked Mohammad and his religion as of the devil and utterly false, and openly assualted their erroneous ideas with direct argument with little attention given to how to say things gently. They even committed acts of vandalism (they broke the civil laws) by smashing their idols. Hence they were often martyred and certainly enraged their opponents. However, this "offensive" manner of dealing with people of other religions is also a God-blessed and glorified manner of doing things, and a host of great saints of unquestioned glory and honour are remembered for this courageous way that they stood tall for Orthodoxy.

Hence, it can be seen, that depending on the situation and the people in question, one or the other manner of approaching the heterodox and heretics can be rightly used to the Glory of God.