Orthodox convert actor

[Matthew]

How sad that Bjerring went back to the confessions of the West. I believe that he must have been seeking ease of soul, and to a void the cross in some way. It is the same for the monasteries on Athos that have submitted to the EP, even though in general they are all opposed to the heresy of ecumenism on principle, but they believe they can "fight from within" and "remain true to Orthodoxy" regardless of what their bishop is. This deception is commonplace. Its allure is that it allows them to have the comforts of the state churches, their buildings, the financial support, and being un-persecuted and praised and affirmed by the world rather than assaulted and maligned as, for example, has been Fr Maxim in Serbia just this past week.

[Archimandrit Nilos]

I agree with your statement.

[Maria]

How sad that Bjerring went back to the confessions of the West. I believe that he must have been seeking ease of soul, and to a void the cross in some way. It is the same for the monasteries on Athos that have submitted to the EP, even though in general they are all opposed to the heresy of ecumenism on principle, but they believe they can "fight from within" and "remain true to Orthodoxy" regardless of what their bishop is. This deception is commonplace. Its allure is that it allows them to have the comforts of the state churches, their buildings, the financial support, and being un-persecuted and praised and affirmed by the world rather than assaulted and maligned as, for example, has been Fr Maxim in Serbia just this past week.

I really do not think that people who remain in World Orthodoxy are seeking comfort. My fifteen years in World Orthodoxy was not at all comforting, but I did not know where to go. I was between a sharp rock (World Orthodoxy) and a hard place (HOCNA).

I read literature from HOCNA when I was first inquiring into Orthodoxy as a member of the Melkite Eastern Catholic Church. When I heard that there were allegations of sexual impropriety, I did not look any further at that time. Then two years later, when I was inquiring into the OCA, a young married man left the OCA and was baptized into HOCNA. The OCA priest told me that HOCNA was schismatic and had some serious theological and sexual problems. This experience further alienated me from those who called themselves True Orthodox. Once again in the early 2000s, I looked into HOCNA as I had never heard of any other True Orthodox groups at that time. As before, questions of sexual impropriety came up, and our young teenager heard about this and discouraged us from inquiring any further. The writings of Metropolitan Ephraim bothered us as they seemed full of prelest.

Online Orthodox Christian forums such as Christian Forums and Orthodox Christian.net who catered to members of World Orthodoxy under the EP and MP further reinforced the view that members of True Orthodoxy, especially HOCNA, were filled with prelest and were under delusion.

HOWEVER, when the OCA synod started dismissing and forcefully retiring their metropolitans for various reasons, when they accepted AB Lazar, and when Stokoe was publishing his gossip news blog, then I knew something was fundamentally wrong with the OCA, and that it was more rotten than HOCNA. It was pot calling the kettle black. The Antiochians were exposed as were the GOARCH and other SCOBA jurisdictions for the rot within.

Not only was Monomakhos posting a lot of inside dirt about the OCA, but also Bishop Tikhon of San Francisco (retired) was adding fuel to the fire by confirming this dirt. In addition, my own experience in the OCA scared me because I saw first hand how homosexuality, immodesty, and even marital infidelity among the immigrant Russians were being tolerated within the OCA. Furthermore, the chalice was not being properly guarded. What I had been taught was not being practiced in the OCA. There was too much hypocrisy.

Thus, I started searching for the truth. I discovered that indeed HOCNA had serious problems when I met with Metropolitan Moses of the GOC as he had recently left HOCNA. When I started reading the lives of saints, especially St. Nectarios of Aegina, St. Nicholas Planas, and St. Seraphim of Sarov, these saints all reinforced what Metropolitan Moses was teaching. My husband and I were baptized into the GOC by Metropolitan Moses in Dec. 2011.

[Barbara]

Maria, was Monomakhos around back then ? I had barely heard of the blog til about the time I saw a post on here
by you [this was when I was still reading here and had not registered yet].

Were they the same as they are now, all about Retired met. Jonah ? Of course, then he would have been still
in his hierarchical position if this was earlier 2011. Maybe they were talking about the rumors gathering that
Met Jonah was going to be told to either stop doing whatever he was doing. Or the OCA Synod would fire him.
Sounds like that's what happened.

Anyway, it's remarkable you made it from over THERE, to HERE !

What is Christian Forums ? It sounds general, like protestants etc.

Did you meet Bishop tikhon [Retired] ever ? What is he like in person, the same as online or different, shy or withdrawn ?
If you never met him, then you probably knew of people who had. I am asking because I never knew anyone in the OCA !
One priest that's about it, and that priest very very superficially.

[Maria]

Maria, was Monomakhos around back then ? I had barely heard of the blog til about the time I saw a post on here
by you [this was when I was still reading here and had not registered yet].

Were they the same as they are now, all about Retired met. Jonah ? Of course, then he would have been still
in his hierarchical position if this was earlier 2011. Maybe they were talking about the rumors gathering that
Met Jonah was going to be told to either stop doing whatever he was doing. Or the OCA Synod would fire him.
Sounds like that's what happened.

Anyway, it's remarkable you made it from over THERE, to HERE !

What is Christian Forums ? It sounds general, like protestants etc.

Did you meet Bishop tikhon [Retired] ever ? What is he like in person, the same as online or different, shy or withdrawn ?
If you never met him, then you probably knew of people who had. I am asking because I never knew anyone in the OCA !
One priest that's about it, and that priest very very superficially.

I do not know when Monomakhos started, but there were some blogs started to counter the lies posted on the Stokoe blog.
There was one rumor mill after another. It was a very dark time in the OCA, and that jurisdiction remains wicked.

Yes, I did meet Bishop Tikhon several times. Since he has a photographic memory, he remembers me.
He is jovial when you meet him in person, unless you have offended him. Remember that he does not forget, but he does forgive.

[Barbara]

Thanks, Maria, for the answer.

Back to Ostrov, I found THIS comment by the author of one of the many reviews on Amazon.com.
I had not thought previously to look there ; i just watched it when someone sent the movie to me.

What does anyone think of this ? First I thought he was referring to a Romanov prince.
Then I realized he must mean a Catholic = but named Price ?!
Is this only nonsense, or what ?!

Anyone care to comment ? Seems to be about a skete in New Mexico, though it's been awhile since I read the discussion.

"Thank-you. I am well-aware of St. Michael's Skete, the Monastery you refer to. I correspond with Father Andrew, am very friendly with Father John the Hieromonk, and Brother Vincent is a long-time friend who has spent much time with me.

I am an Orthodox Christian myself, a member of the Sovereign Orthodox Order of Knights Hospitaller of St. John (I was knighted by Price Michael Romanoff). I hope you will enjoy my many other reviews of Orthodox-related products at Amazon"

IHS

Paul Moulton Simon, KSJ

[Matthew]

The quote you posted refers to an OCA monastery in New Mexico and a certain Fr. Andrew. I googled that and found that despite the fact that he confessed to and was convicted for serious sexual crimes against a child, he was still allowed to do retreats for youth in the OCA and Antiochian Church, and the parents were not informed of his convictions, and in addition the laws of the OCA state that no clergy convicted of such crimes shall ever work with youth in ANY capacity.

http://pokrov.org/display.asp?ds=Convic ... pe=Persons

How sad and disorderly!

In any case, it seems nothing can be trusted, and no one can be believed among those people.