Ok, interesting 
Maybe I shall have to explore this more later...
What would you do if ROCOR and the MP united tomorrow?
Moderator: Mark Templet
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Justin Kissel
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Justin Kissel
A few points...
I see no significant difference between the ROCOR and MP ecclesiology as it exists today, apart from the problems of Sergianism and embracing Ecumenism. If these can be cleared up, I see no other problems.
People can disagree about what group/patriarch is legit and still both be Orthodox. We can stay out of communion with the Antiochians, and still establish communion with the MP even if they are in communion with Antioch. The only time this is not true is when one of the groups are heretical.
Heresy doesn't have to be formally condemned at a synod to think it heresy. Then again, acting rashly can get you in hell!!!!!! I think we take theology (including discussions about grace and heresy) too lightly today, and don't realise that we are playing with fire. We don't call to our memory that we will have to give an account for every word, and that if we falsely judge our brother, we could very well suffer for it, but if we refrain from judging because we aren't sure, we will be forgiven for it. When it comes to morality, I think it's safer to stick to the conservative route. When it comes to condemnations, I think it's safer (possibly eternally safer) to remain agnostic until you are absolutely sure one way or the other. Some will here bring up saints that have done differently. To put it bluntly, we are not anywhere near those saints, or able to discern in the same way that they could.
This discussion is not unrelated to the community discussion. We need to decide where the "line" is; we can't have the community spliting up every other decade over some small ecclesiological matter. Sometimes seeking to be the "most right" leaves you in the worst place.
