tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32645349152990429822024-03-13T10:44:22.848-07:00Bitter Fruits of a Sweet CaptivityJoannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000679422093371576noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264534915299042982.post-86565682589265423272013-01-12T20:53:00.002-08:002020-07-11T21:30:28.162-07:00Горькие плоды сладкого плена<div style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal Monaco; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
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Bitter Fruits of a Sweet Captivity<br />
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by Zoya Krakhmalnikova</div>
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This essay appeared in Russian in the Paris based PENSEE RUSSE nos. 3759-3766.</div>
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The present translation is by "Orthodox Action" in Australia, 1989.<br />
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000679422093371576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264534915299042982.post-63773410707409734062008-05-03T20:26:00.000-07:002020-07-11T21:26:31.937-07:00Bitter Fruits of a Sweet Captivity*<div style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 19px;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Two circumstances impel me to speak out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Millennium of Christianity in Rus' has become a world event. Professors of patristics and Church history, of ecclesiology and philosophy of culture presented a great variety of papers in our country and abroad. (Religious programs of the <i>"Voice of America"</i> and the BBC informed us about the more serious of them.) But considering the manifold treatment of the topics on the Millennium one main topic has remained outside the interests of scholars and theologians. Namely, the crisis of church-consciousness within the Russian Orthodox Church which had been placed in a phenomenal situation by the atheistic state authorities who at the dawn of their power undertook the global task to destroy religion in the USSR. Our specialists on religion delegated abroad to participate in conferences and symposia dedicated to the Millennium, did not speak of any church problems, or the Church history of the latest period, or of characteristics of a certain type of spirituality. Neither were these topics discussed at home. And yet, as a result of special circumstances explained below, there has been formed in our church a type of church-consciousness which is, in a certain sense, unique.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In the course of the last seven decades the teaching of the Orthodox Church turned out to be essentially INACCESSIBLE to the Orthodox population, deprived as it was of the catechetical and spiritual literature, of Holy Scriptures and Traditions of the Orthodox church, and of the true Christian sermon. Believers were given only one opportunity: to attend Church services (and even then, only where there was a church left) for a "performance of religious rites," as one could read in the official government instructions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The holy Church professes faith "with all her life: her teaching, sacraments and rites"*</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">>*note: See A.S. Khomyakov. <i>The Church is One</i>, Vol II. Moscow 1907</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">and not one of these components may replace another. The principles of the dogmas of the Orthodox faith exposed in the Orthodox Creed were revealed in the course of many centuries in the writings of the Holy fathers and teachers of the Church. From one century to another the Orthodox Church was passing on her doctrine, preserving the cherishing its purity as the apple of one's eye. But the time came when this tradition was interrupted and the Orthodox Church in Russia suffered innumerable losses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Obviously, the crisis of Orthodox sprirituality has affected several generations of the Church population in our country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Researchers of Orthodoxy who live abroad are unable to fully analyze the particular features of this crisis, because realities of this sort are apprehended through personal experience of dealing with them. Our own researchers, however, have apparently chosen to disregard this problem in order not to cause a discord in the general pathos of the Milllennium celebrations. Meanwhile I consider this particular problem to be quite essential for the destiny of the contemporary world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The forces of Antichrist who have raised the sword against God and His desciples, have not only changed the situation of the Church in Russia: they have changed and will be changing the spiritual situation thoughout the Christian world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Mankind is one organism, the whole Adam, and if one part of this organism is destroyed, it becomes destroyed in its entirety, as a whole, regardless of whether or not this organism adequately comprehends the reason of the impending catastrophe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The persecution of the first Christian Church revealed not only the power and the victory of the spirit of Christianity over the kingdom of the Prince of darkness; it opened a new era in the history of mankind in its civilization and culture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">What, then, is the spiritual meaning of the unprecedented persecution being now experienced by Christainity of the 20th century? What sort of lesson to mankind is it, and why has the Lord sent it? What is its providential meaning, and what fruit has the bloody harvest of the 20th century brought forth and is still about to bring?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It would be a shameful impudence on my part to try and answer these questions. In Russia they used to say: it's important to raise a question. The answer will be given in due time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The second consideration impelling me to speak out on such topics of vital importance has to do with an insistent necessity to return to the discussion of problems raised at the "Round Table" dedicated to the Millennium. The listeners of religious programs of the "Voice of America" are by now familiar with these discussions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This was the first experiment in free discourse on the actual problems of church life by Orthodox Christians. For the first time writers, literary men, journalists together with pastors of the Church had an opportunity to address their brothers in faith, to speak of the problems worrying the Church community and of the subject of their creative analysis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We have neither an ambo (pulpit) nor an opportunity to publish our views in any of the mass-media of information, which undividedly belong to the atheistic state authorities. (Attempts of this kind were made by some of us and remain without success.) The church organs of the press are not only minimal (the only journal being the Journal fo the Moscow Patriarchate), but, as is well known, they take the stand pleasing to the atheistic regime, as a matter of principle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Some of the "Round Table" participants had recently returned from imprisonment, where they served their time for spreading the Word of God; others suffered for their faith while remaining outside the prison walls ('perestroika' interrupted persecution of believers, some "cases" were closed in a hurry).</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">'Glasnost' has slightly raised the curtain of lies and laid bare the surface of the first levels of inferno, only the nearest surface of the opened depth. But what lies beyond them, beyond the first circles of this inferno?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">'Glasnost' brought out to the surface the sorrows of our people, the horror in the face of crimes in some and craving for justification of murder in others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">All strata of our society have found themselves drawn into the situation of 'glasnost' one way or another. And only the so called "official Church", as represented by the Church hierarchs, while welcoming 'glasnost' in their speeches, did not properly adopt it. On the contrary, they have erected a "screen" against 'glasnost' within the Church. As soon as one or another zealous Christian attempts to express his views, he is immediately declared as "gone astray spiritually" and burdened with horrible sins, and this regardless of the commandments of Christ, of the Church canons and of the true Church piety.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">However, the church authorities, alas, do not confine themselves to exhorting their still very few accusers ("Fear not, little flock," -- said Christ to those who will be persecuted by the powers of this world, should they be state or ecclesiastical powers. Luke 12:32), they prefer to include into their communiques and decrees political accusations, addressing those who dare to doubt their infallibility.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This fact is remarkable in the extreme. Not only is the wording of the accusations sadly reminiscent of sentences passed on the first prisoners for the sake of Christ, they bear witness to a particular political thinking adopted by the ecclesistical powers, and supplanting Christian thinking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">'Glasnost' has not only uncovered many secrets, but it has exposed with sufficient clarity those who are not prepared to welcome it. 'Glasnost' is certainly not welcome to those who, in the first place, are afriad that it will disclose those depths of horror and lawlessness, of moral disintegratioon, mafia type of activities and corruption, concealed under the mask of piety. Therefore in the silence of the church authorities about the actual woes of the Church one can hear not only the mistrust of 'glasnost,' but also fear of it cloaked by contempt: "we do not need your 'glasnost,' everyone knows that we are held captive"...</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As I was making my first steps towards the Church and asked about the silence of the Patriarch and Bishops, the more experienced and more "deep-rooted" of the church people often replied: "they are in captivity." Not once, however, did I see handcuffs on Patriarch Pimen, not once did I see a convoy accompanying him or the bishops, not once did I see them stepping out of the paddy wagon. But I observed them with amazement blessing the crowds humbly bowing to the wheels of black "Chaika" and "Zils," in which our hierarchs, the monks, traveled in comfort.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The myth about captivity is one of our most precious acquisitions. I too, paid my homage to it (which I now regret) in one of my articles expressing my hope that our hierarchs in their voluntary captivity may gradually undergo transformation, God willing. And that they cease to bear false witness. There is a "fatal point of no return" in the destiny of everyone of us...</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The cruel persecution of Khruschev's era was followed by the 18 years of stagnation and decay. And while secular circles managed to produce at least some individuals capable of 'glasnost', the church hierarchy produced only those willing to encourage 'glasnost on an "official level."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The church authorities keep silent about the woes of the Church and they want the faithful to be silent as well. "Do as I do" - is the order known to a navy. The church is not a navy, but it has a similar order: "Bishops and priests know better, than we do"...</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">False humility, false obedience and false witness are the three pillars supporting corruption, rapacity and betrayal of the Truth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The faithful too, are silent and inert. As it turns out, the Prince of darkness did not labor in vain by engendering the easiest, the most comfortable and prosperous "Christianity." Easy Christianity, because one easily adopts it and just as easily discards it - Christianity without the Cross. It turns out that the persistent propaganda efforts of the Moscow Patriarch extolling the freedom of religion were also not in vain; it was not for nothing that so many meals and so many drinks, all paid with the copecks of little old women, were consumed by foreign guests at the expensive restaurants, where enjoying the hors d'oeuvres they learned about the freedom of religion in our country!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Inertness hardened in silence generates contempt and even disgust in those who are happy with their comfortable Christianity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">They become squeamish about those who - one feels ashamed to say it - are imprisoned, who are sent to a concentration camp for the freedom of conscience, while they have all the freedom they need. Why shout? Better sit quietly. The times are hard. Keep silent or you'll interfere with 'glasnost'. Sit still, or they'll close us, sit still, or it may become worse...and so forth. All the time the same. Or you may hear the following: "Look, we are going through a complex period, our service is of such a complex nature, and you're wasting our time with such trifles..."</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">And all this loyal trepidation and cowardly, squeamish silence ALWAYS hiding under the name of God. It is so difficult to fight the burning grief when you hear this dead silence...</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">But sometimes one may hear voices coming out of the deaf tunnels of silence: along with those of reproach one may discern those expressing amazement or encouragement... and then suddenly one short retort, like a shot: "SCHISM" [Russ: raskol].</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Is it possible, I think upon hearing this dreadful word reminiscent of another just as dreadful one: "Execution" [Russ: rasstrel].</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Whence has it come? Why? Is it really so unexpected? And who has triggered it off?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Church has always feared schism, because unity was bequeathed to us. And it was not simply bequesthed; the Lord declared it to be the condition of our union with Him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The earthly Church has always carried a seed of schism within herself, while zealously guarding the Truth. In our own time two Christian Churches are experiencing the most difficult times of schism (parting of the ways?): the Anglican Church and the Catholic Church.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Church is the living organism, and the Head is Christ: our Risen God, the God of the living, not of the dead. He brought into this world both division and unity. Unity among those faithful to Him and division between those who keep His commandments and those who scorn them in order to gratify their manifold passions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">When a secularized Church sets the laws of this world above the Laws of the Gospel, she too, like the world is faced with the division predicted by Christ, the division by the Word of God which severs lies from the truth with a flaming sword. Only he fears this sword who is endowed with the sacred fear. Only this sacred fear of God may safeguard against schism.</span><br />
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000679422093371576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264534915299042982.post-15342571092202066252008-05-03T20:24:00.000-07:002008-07-11T11:59:38.356-07:00Chapter 1. Sweet Captivity: Myth and RealityGod demanded that His people go into the Babylonian captivity.<br /><br />Through the prophets who had been exhorting God's people "from early in the morning" he demanded that they consent to this captivity.<br /><br />Why should a human soul already suffering the unbearable yoke of earthly captivity, endure yet another captivity? Apparently, in order to comprehend the meaning of freedom.<br /><br />Freedom is a supreme gift comprehended only by those who crave to escape captivity.<br /><br />When our soil became tired of receiving the relics of the martyrs and confessors of Christ, when there arose a false hope that the captivity may provide a refuge from death, our Church voluntarily embraced captivity led by the great "starets" (Elder) and no less great theologian (as the official authors of monographies often assured us) Metropolitan Sergius Stragorodsky.<br /><br />This opportunity was provided by the well known Declaration of Metrpolitan Sergius.<br /><br />The key idea of the Declaration was expressed in one phrase: "Your joys are our joys". Its meaning today, sixty years later (it was made public in 1927), is sufficiently definite and it cannot be misread; its synonimity has been confirmed by the last 60-year history of the Church.<br /><br />It means only what it means, namely: your joys bound with the building of a new atheistic society in which there is no place and cannot be any place for the true Orthodoxy - from now on are our joys, too.<br /><br />At this point I shall make a reservation. I am not writing an historical ecclesiastical essay and I do not intend to expound episodes of our Church history. It is being written by individuals who are competent in this field and who are called to this kind of creativity.<br /><br />My task is of a different nature. I am interested in the approximation, as far as possible, to the spiritual essence of events which are taking place in the life of our church today and which have become the "FRUITS", in their way, by which we are to know about our activity and which God manifested today for us to see.<br /><br />Thus, it was a voluntary captivity. It was chosen as a means of protection from persecution.<br /><br />It was necessary to preserve the Church, explain the apologists of Metr. Sergius.<br /><br />However, it is difficult to imagine that The Apostles Peter or Paul, or any of the Apostle-martyrs would declare to Nero: "Your joys are our joys", in order to preserve the Church.<br /><br />Just like the host of martyrs persecuted by Traianus, Diocletian, Decius a.o. they preserved the Church in a different way, in the way taught by Christ.<br /><br />Maybe Metropolitan Sergius was indeed rejoicing at the joys of Stalin?<br /><br />Or had he chosen a special way for Christianity, a new way, and unlike the one followed by the Church at the time of the Apostles and at the time after their death?<br /><br />Has Metropolitan Sergius really SAVED the Church from persecution by his Declaration? And is it possible to save the Church by HUMAN means?<br /><br />The history of the Russian Church bears witness to the fact that the Church did not submit to the politcal program of Metropolitan Sergius. And only because she followed the Gospel commandments, did she survive despite the destructive policy of Metropolitan Sergius. His Declaration, however helped the regime to deal with those who did not wish to betray the Gospel revelation about the Church.<br /><br />Those whose joys had become the joys of Metropolitan Sergius answered with the most cruel persecution. The years of Yezhov's terror, followed by the years of Beria, carried away countless numbers of victims...<br /><br />The Church which rejected the joys of Stalin's era, which was not subjugated by persecutions remained faithful to Christ. And it would be dishonorable to assume that truth remained on the side of those who preserved their lives, rather than on the side of those who lost their lives for Christ's sake.<br /><br />In the Church the bearers of truth are not those who survive by way of a compromise with conscience, but those who walk in the footsteps of Christ.<br /><br />The captivity chosen by Metropolitan Sergius was not only voluntary, it was joyous: "Your joys are our joys". In the 30's and 40's it was regarded as "wisdom" by a certain section of the clergy. As a special wisdom.<br /><br />The Church authorities use the term "special wisdom" every time as an evidence of their striking wisdom when saving the Church under the circumstances intended for her destruction. And each time it turns out, paradoxically, that the "special wisdom" for saving the Church is applied namely in ACCEPTING the conditions created to destroy the Church.<br /><br />The last time this "special wisdom" was extolled by one of the archbishops was at the preliminary session of the Church Council, when discussing revocation of the decree passed by the Council of 1961. He announced that the archbishops' unanimous approval of the decree of 1961, which had doomed the Church to countless woes, was an act of "special wisdom".<br /><br />Apparently, "special wisdom" is bound in the consciousness of the "church leaders" (as the ruling Diocesan Archbishops are called not only by the state authorities, but as they call themselves as well) with the Lord's advice given to His Apostles: "be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as doves" (Mt. 10:16). But in the Holy Scriptures the serpent is regarded not only as the "symbol of wisdom"; we know from Genesis that the flattery and lies of the serpent who "was more subtle than any beast of the field" (Gen. 3:1) caused catastrophe for mankind. For that he was cursed by God and commanded to crawl, to "walk on his belly" (Gen. 3:14)<br /><br />The wisdom of the serpent and the harmlessness of the dove commanded by the Lord are in no way compatible with the ability to crawl. It would be disgraceful to assume that the Lord taught His disciples "to walk on their bellies", like the accursed serpent scorned by Him.<br /><br />The parable of the WISE and foolish virgins reveals the gospel meaning of wisdom (Mt. 25:1-12), as faithfulness to Christ's commandments in all their fullness. "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God", - says the Holy Apostle Paul explaining the meaning of the gospel wisdom (I Cor. #:19) - for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Whoever possess this gift, he will not grovel like the serpent.<br /><br />But the devil, as is well known, is the Father of lies and the creator of false theories. The devil turns the meanings of Divine words into anti-meanings, and he presents lies for truth.<br /><br />So, captivity was the only way out for those who received the ecclesiastical powers with the approval of the secular powers.<br /><br />This is a sorrowful topic. Compromise with evil enhances the evil. Compromise is not a cross, and it has nothing in common with humility before the will of God.<br /><br />This is the beginning of new sorrows, of countless temptations and spiritual losses, of fiery trials, and we have no way of assessing the extent of woes and their price.<br /><br />The Lord wanted the Babylonian captivity to be voluntary.<br /><br />Among the many kinds of His abandoning, which the Holy Fathers discern in the Scripture, there is "abandoning for apostasy", as it happened, according to St. Maximus the Confessor, with the Jews in order to make them repent through punishment.*<br /><br />*>note: Philokalia.v 3. p.106. further quotations from writings of St. Maximus are taken from this work.<br /><br />St. Maximus considers the instances of abandoning which he enumerated, including the "abandoning for apostasy" to be salutary and filled with God's mercy and love for man.<br /><br />This idea of St. Maximus is confirmed in Psalm 137 ("On the rivers of Babylon"). The Holy Spirit revealed to us through His prophet the meaning of the Babylonian captivity, which is sometimes incorrectly identified with the captivity chosen by Metropolitan Sergius.<br /><br />Psalm 137 is a treasury of spiritual insights and it is not by chance that the Church sings it on the eve of the Great Lent, thus through her experience in prayer, revealing the spiritual meaning of the Babylonian captivity which has become the SCHOOL OF COURAGE AND SOBRIETY. and one of the means of acquiring blessedness, according to the Fathers of the Orthodox Church.<br /><br />But WHO, then, will be happy in the Babylonian captivity? The one who will not betray his spiritual homeland, the one who will place it "above the chief joy" in his captivity, the one who will "dash the little ones" born of Babylon ("destroyer of the spiritual foundations of the captive people) against the stones. Against the corner stone, against Jesus Christ.<br /><br />On this stone He erected His Church. The Holy Fathers often interpreted the word "little ones" as "sinful thoughts", admonishing to give in to Satanic captors, which therefore, should be destroyed "in infancy" (i.e. as soon as they arise).<br /><br />Captivity is a fateful topic in Christianity. It is the theme of two paths. The theme of devotion to Christ and the theme of betrayal of Christ. Therefore, the Lord sends captivity, as a temptation by fire, so that the gold of one's faith may be tried in its crucible.<br /><br />This is a sorrowful topic. It is just as frightening to touch it, as to touch fire. God Himself will judge His people.<br /><br />He commanded us not to judge, but to LEARN. To learn by the fruits and to forgive those, whom He did not endow with the strength to serve Him.<br /><br />At this point I'll make another necessary digression in anticipation of the inevitable objection of those who just as arbitrarily understand the word "to judge", as the Lord's precept on "the serpent's wisdom".<br /><br />We are forbidden to judge and to condemn, and God detests those who judge His servants. But the Church would have been prevailed upon long ago by the gates of hell, if "they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness" had remained silent about violations of the Truth. There would not be the first martyr, Stephen, who cast accusation at the Synhedrin and who, following this accusation, "saw the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56).<br /><br />"Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye" - said the first martyr Stephen to all that sat in the Synhedrin.<br /><br />This is not judgement, this serving Christ and His Church.<br /><br />There would be no manifestations of unity, of strength of mind in the face of the most cruel persection of the first Christian Church, if the Apostle Peter had not repudiated the FIRST ECCLESIASTICAL LIE of Ananias and Sapphira who lied to the Holy Spirit abiding in the Church and who were deprived of life for this (Acts 5:1-11). There would be no saints who upheld the Orthodox faith by exposing heresies without making any compromises.<br /><br />If Christians were to keep silent, hiding behind false humility their fear of the powerful ones of this world, of foreign powers, pagans and idolators, there would be no hosts of hieromartyrs, martyrs and confessors whose blood is the seed of the Church. As we know from the first chapter of St. John's Revelation, the Lord awaits and approves of the exposure of lies within the Church enclosure, the exposure of heresies and apostasy. He promised to crown the Philadelphia Church with victory over the "synagogue of Satan" (Rev. 3:9) for their firmness and "keeping His word" (Rev. 3:8)<br /><br />Had the Church kept silent refusing to expose evil, hell would have devoured her long ago. According to the promise of God, she stands firm just because God has called upon His disciples to fight the servants of Hell for the Truth, granting them power for victory.<br /><br />Who, then may expose evil within the Church enclosure or outside? Any Christian. It is not only his right, it is his SACRED obligation, the proof of his devotion to Christ. And whoever does not expose the false truth, the anti-truth, he, according to our faith, will have to answer for refusing to expose evil and lies just like those who originated them, for we will then be scorched by the SAME fire. "But the fearful, and unbelievers, the abominable, and murders, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolators, and ALL LIARS, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Rev. 21:8).<br /><br />But let us continue with our interrupted topic.<br /><br />What kind of joy then, marked the captivity chosen by Metropolitan Sergius? In the Solovki concentration camp there were bishops waiting to be executed for disputing Metropolitan Sergius' position in their Epistle. Enticements, treachery, denouncements, intrigues, hypocrisy, duplicity, betrayal - this is what Metropolitan Sergius' "joys" turned out to be for the Church. In 1939 only three bishops beside Metr. Sergius (Stragorodsky) still remained free. Those who did not share Metr. Sergius' position were exiled; those who flattered his "special wisdom" received their appointments as Bishops.<br /><br />Bow to me and you will be a patriarch. Bow to me and you'll become a bishop, your service will be an Apostolic one, you'll enjoy respect, fame, wealth, power, people will bow low to you, they'll bow to the wheels of your car. Just bow to me.<br /><br />The time comes when every soul undertaking the service of God is taken out into a desert by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by Satan, it is taken into captivity.<br /><br />The choice was made by Mter. Sergius, who became the Patriarch. The fruits of Sergianism in our Church which lived through the 6 decades after accepting the joyful captivity, have turned out to be extremely impressive. God manifested them to us in all His generosity, He manifested them in order that those who wish to have ears to hear, and eyes to be able to see - could learn from the fruits whether the chrisma of the patriarchal power, or the charisma received by a bishop or a priest at the time of their consecration, may become a formalized act, like a seal leaving its outlines on a paper to which it was affixed. May charisma become a "lifelong rent" or it is the LIVING LIFE of the Life-bearing and Consoling Spirit? The Life which inevitably produces the fruits of the Spirit (see Gal.5:22), an overabundant Life, independent of any formalities, overcoming them, surpassing everything without exception in the name of eternal life.Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000679422093371576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264534915299042982.post-14628933305722592992008-05-03T20:22:00.000-07:002008-07-11T11:37:33.587-07:00Chapter 2. What Is Spiritual Sergianism and Its FruitsSergianism arose as a political phenomenon. However, soon the political program of Metropolitan Sergius did not only generate a particular style of ecclesiastical life - characterized by canonical turmoil, church discord and betrayal by the disobedient ones; at its very source Sergianism became also a spiritual phenomenon. Its essence lay in the spiritual "revision" of the Gospel.<br /><br />Proceeding from the conviction that in the history of mankind there arise political and social situations in which the Gospel principles must be adjusted to the circumstances of the situations, spiritual Sergianism suggested that the Russian Orthodox Church change at least two central themes of human life in their Gospel perusal, the two main principles of existence dealing with the hope for salvation. These are the Cross and profession of faith.<br /><br />The problem of the "elimination of the Cross" as endangering Christianity and the Church had first arisen in the First Epistle of St. Paul to Corinthians. Later, in his Epistle to the Galatians the Apostle expressed his anxiety apropos the fact that by means of a ritual (in this case circumcision) it was possible to eliminate the Cross of Christ. "They constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the Cross of Christ" (Gal. 6:12). This temptation: to replace the Cross by a ritual, and faith by faith in rituals - has always been the most dangerous temptation for the Church. And she has always struggled with it.<br /><br />Holy men, according to St. Maximus the Confessor, left the "exalted word of knowledge", of contemplation and communion with God and went into the Babylonian captivity along with their people, in order to teach them, thus giving them strength to overcome temptations, similar to the dreadful temptation to eliminate, to replace the Cross.<br /><br />However in spiritual Sergianism, we encounter the meanings of St. Maximus the Confessor being turned upside down. The Church is called upon to acknowledge the joys of her persecutors as her own joys, and the success in the destruction of millions of people as her own success.<br /><br />Many times many priests were heard saying that they did not dare to come out in defence of the Truth, with a sermon of the true Orthodoxy only because they were afraid of "losing the parish". They assumed that the parish needed them more than it needed the Truth of Christ, that by "observing rites" and by a sermon of "semi-Christianity" they might be of spiritual benefit to a "parish"! The Apostle Paul remarked with bitterness: "for all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's" (Phil. 2:21).<br /><br />The history of the Church knows of instances when the priests would leave their "parishes" in order to serve Christ and were rewarded by Him with sainthood. St. Isaac the Syrian, while the Bishop of Nineveh where once the prophet Ionas was sent to preach repentance, left his "parish" and his parishioners who had implored him to be their Bishop. He left them when he learned that they did not wish to follow the Gospel.<br /><br />St. Isaac the Syrian became a great saint, and his experience of serving Christ, which he recorded, became a treasury of spiritual revelations for many subsequent generations of monastics and lay people.<br /><br />Every false witness, be it pronounced by a lay person, or a patriarch, a priest, or a bishop, the purpose of which is to deny persecution is certainly denying the Lord's promise regarding the saving power of the Cross, and consequently also the promise of resurrection: for in accordance with the teaching of the Holy Church, resurrection is impossible without the Cross. The Church chants: "Joy will come to all the world through the Cross".<br /><br />Should one say that it is dangerous to seek death on the cross, if it is not sent by God? The dream about the glory from death on the cross without having mortified our passions, our earthly pretentions - is a self-delusion, forbidden by the Church and perilous for our soul.<br /><br />When the Lord granted a respite to Christianity matured in persecutions, at the beginning of Constantine's era, the Church was faced with a threatened elimination of the Cross.<br /><br />The Church reacted with another kind of martyrdom. Monasticism, as martyrdom for Christ's sake, bore fruits of spirituality unprecedented in any era in the life of mankind. It became a new leaven of the world, the salt of mankind, preserving it from moral decay.<br /><br />The Church left for the hidden desert in order to offer her sacrifice for the preservation of mankind, and to offer to mankind the gift of the power of the Cross which she had voluntarily taken upon her shoulders.<br /><br />Monasticism blossomed in the period of "calm" when the bloodthirsty persecution of early Christians gave way to persecution instigated by the spirit of malice, the fallen-spirit, who instilled into the world hatred for its Creator.<br /><br />The profession of faith, as practiced by the desert dwellers and ascetics was invisible and bloodless, but this did not make its power run low and diminish. The Church lived her life imperceptibly to the world, not only guarding it, but secretly regenerating it. The Church is the "great mystery of the universe", according to Khomyakov. This mystery conceals great power, for it was not in vain that St. Irenaeus of Lion said that "when at the end of history the Church will be suddenly taken away from here, there will be such sorrow the like of which from the beginning never was and never will be experienced".*<br /><br />*>note: St. Irenaeus of Lion. Against Heresies, Book 5.<br /><br />The disciples of Christ were taught to lose their life in this world, in order to find it (Mt. 10:39), they were taught to become Christ's witnesses of the Truth in all its fullness.<br /><br />Profession of faith is a special life in Christ. It is the witness of another kind of existence, of hope and of a chance of resurrection. This witness is necessary to the world, it is more precious than all the sciences and all aspects of culture, created by man. It is more precious than politics in all its aspects and manifestations, more precious than all social achievements. Because anyone witnessing about Christ, about His resurrection, witnesses also about the possibility of overcoming death. Therefore profession of faith becomes an ascetic feat in the world, which does not want to believe that it is possible to overcome death.<br /><br />In order to be serious about the profession of faith, about love and salvation, it is not enough to be called a believer, to attend Church services and to take part in the rite "performing the religious cult" and to observe Church holidays. The church teaches us that one may only be Christ's witness in the world which hates its Creator through suffering for Christ's sake, or as St. Maximus the Confessor said: "Blessed are those who act and suffer for Christ and about Christ."*<br /><br />*>note: Philokalia. v. 3, p 42.<br /><br />How frightening is this Gospel maximalism to the soul, how scorching is the fire of the Divine love!<br /><br />How fervent and incomprehensible is Christ's love in allowing His most beloved ones, most devoted and pure ones to suffer so much, in allowing the most precious ones to die on the cross, for the sake of saving at least one of these little ones!<br /><br />Such are the Gospel love and foolishness of the Cross.<br /><br />Is it possible to offer a new Christianity to mankind, a new faith which, out of consideration for the "special wisdom", refuses to become the light of the world?<br /><br />The keeper of the world throughout history has always offered and will be offering until the end of ages HIS OWN Christianity. This will be the basis of the Antichrist.<br /><br />He will be suggesting the idea about the necessity to RENEW it in one way or another, creating a "contemporary" a "better" Christianity, than the one that was, a contemporary new religion.<br /><br />Regardless of where in the universe severe struggle for the "new Christianity" were to begin, the entire Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church scattered throughout the face of the earth would experience upon herself, to a greater or lesser extent, and at times unique consequences of the satanic onslaught.<br /><br />Innocent blood cried out to God during the periods of Inquisition and Schisms, during the periods marked by the dark fratricidal treachery of the false Christians. "The Great Inquisitor" written by the patricide and fratricide Ivan Karamazov in a capacious form expressed the essence of various modernizations of Christianity. "We have corrected Thy work"...<br /><br />Spiritual Sergainism is namely a "correction of Christ's work".<br /><br />What are the spiritual fruits of this new Christianity manifested to us by God today, 60 years after the decisive steps of Metropolitan Sergius who chose "the new course" for Orthodoxy?<br /><br />Bowing down to the verbal idols created a new idolatry. Acknowledging the joys of persecutors as their own it was necessary to acknowledge as their own also the realities which formed the new paganism.<br /><br />Sin is monotonous, according to St. John of Kronstadt. Any modernization of Christianity generates idolatry.<br /><br />The Biblical purity of words, or as the Apostle Peter said: "pure milk of the word" cannot, in any historical situation, contain any ADMIXTURE without losing its God-chosen meaning. When Elder Eleazarus was ordered by the ruling power "to renounce the law of the Fathers and to live not according to the Law of God" (2Mak. 6:1) it was suggested that he might make a compromise and just pretend (only pretend!) that he eats sacrificial meat. Eleazarus refused despite the threat of death.<br /><br />The story is remarkable not only because in it we learn about devotion to God and about readiness to die a martyr's death for its sake. It also contains another meaning, universal for all times: for the persecutors of ancestral faith it is less important that their persecuted victims worship the state or political idols, so to say ACCORDING TO THEIR CONSCIENCE - for conscience may be disregarded - but it is of far greater importance to them that the victims ACKNOWLEDGE their religious doctrine, even if only hypocritically.<br /><br />It is important to them to destroy the WHOLENESS OF FAITH by means of lies, to destroy its Divine maximalism.<br /><br />At this point we should note an important aspect to which we will often return in this discussion. Eleazarus died a martyr's death as a STATE criminal for refusing to acknowledge, even hypocritically, the dominant religious doctrine.<br /><br />He was a political criminal just like the three youths thrown into the Babylonian furnace - Ananias, Azarias and Mishael who refused to worship the state idols. The prophet Daniel also, who was cast into a lion's den for continuing to worship his God despite the orders of the state, was, a political criminal.<br /><br />The Orthodox Church reveals the true meaning of these Biblical stories in her liturgical life. Their meaning remains immutable in any historical time.<br /><br />One of the spiritual consequences of Sergianism is the politicizing of the church hierarchy. Regardless of the fact that the Council of the Russian Orthodox Chruch of 1917-18 considered it impossible for the Church to participate in a political struggle, every member of the Church retained his individual right to participate or not participate in political life. But the Chruch is free from politics.<br /><br />Nevertheless, the church hierarchy of the Sergius trend, paying no attention to the council's opinion on this problem, has generated and developed a new type of Christianity: POLITICAL CHRISTIANITY.<br /><br />The latter developed and gained strength in its struggle with the renovationist's schism, in its competition with renovationists for recognition by the state.<br /><br />In the future, Soviet historians of religion will note, not without reason, that having defeated Renovationism, Sergianism adopted its principles of politicizing of Church life (bad habits are contagious, as they say; Renovationism passes on to Sergianism not only its "political methods", but also its tradition of "married bishops", which is flourishing in the Russian Orthodox Church today).<br /><br />Political Christianity, as a variety of the "new Christianity" or Renovationism, develops its own conception of interrelationship between the Church and the world, its own interpretation of the mission of the Church in the world.<br /><br />This interpretation radically differs from the Gospel revelation about God, man and the Church.<br /><br />According to the Gospel revelation, Christianity may have no part in any politics, because it is called upon to remain OUTSIDE all political institutes and their doctrines, and it does not have any pretentions to any good things in this world. "My kingdom is not of this world" - said the alord to a representative of the earthy power (Jn. 18:35).<br /><br />The Kingdom of Christ which Christians are admonished to seek before everything else is above any politics, any ideology, created by people of this world. Those who seek it, spread the good news about the eternal CELESTIAL life, while all political systems are preoccupied with the EARTHLY life.<br /><br />The Church is called by God to a certain kind of service to the world, it is called to bring the good news of hope in resurrection. Politics repudiates this mission, because it is unable and POWERLESS to spread the good news about salvation of the soul. God does not give strength to political Christianity to occupy itself with apologetics, which society needs.<br /><br />We are taught not only to pray for those in power and persecutors, but also to preach to them about hope and deliverance from the eternal death, in order that at least one soul might learn about the thirst for salvation through a Christian sermon.<br /><br />Insisting on his right to defend his faith, to preach, a Christian is not preoccupied with himself: he is called upon to bring the gift of faith to another person whoever this OTHER person might be - a sympathizer, or persecutor.<br /><br />Christ said to His disciples: "Ye shall be brought before the rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony before them (Mk. 13:9). BEFORE THEM - means FOR them. Every soul is precious to God, it is worth the whole world. The history of Christianity knows of many instances when the courage of Christians facing their tormentors turned these tormentors to Christ...<br /><br />But did we hear a word of defence of the Truth, even once, from those of the archbishops who are given an opportunity to preach from television screens and newspaper columns?<br /><br />Political Christianity is like a fig tree showing off its leaves - its vestments - but having no fruit to feed the hungry (MK.11:13).<br /><br />During the long years of catastrophic stagnation and cold war our church hierarchy was particularly preoccupied with "peace-making". So many peace-making speeches were pronounced, one like another, at all kinds of forums and congresses! So many billions of church money were spent on these talks and on the banquets crowning these talks! While it was precisely during these years that thousands upon thousands of lives were lost in Afghanistan and wars were fought in other regions of the world.<br /><br />Today 'glasnost' has revealed the vices of the foreign policy of Brezhnev's era. Why, then, did the church power find itself drawn into this vicious circle? Why did the peace-makers keep silent about the death of thousands of our country's sons in Afghanistan?<br /><br />When God was about to destroy the inhabitants of Sodom for their unprecedented moral shamelessness and disintegration, when Sodom turned into a temple of all kinds of depravity (our own earthly home, our world may become such a temple), it was condemned to the all-consuming fire.<br /><br />It was then that Abraham "stood before the Lord" and began imploring Him to spare Sodom, to spare mankind. "Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt Thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?" The fifty righteous were not to be found in Sodom, and Abraham knew it, too. He began "haggling" with God. He talked of forty-five, forty, then thirty, twenty and, finally of ten righteous. God promised to spare Sodom if ten righteous were left in the city.<br /><br />But they could not be found (Gen. 18:22-32), except Lot and his family who were then led out of the city, whereupon fire destroyed its inhabitants.<br /><br />The idea of this Biblical story is very edifying for those who crave for salvation of the world, for the salvation of their homeland; it is also edifying for professional peace-makers. If you want to save the world from complete destruction by fire - be righteous...Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000679422093371576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264534915299042982.post-20796908779471253952008-05-03T20:20:00.000-07:002008-07-11T11:56:51.202-07:00Chapter 3. The Break with TraditionBowing down to verbal idols led to an unprecedented (to Orthodoxy) idolizing of Stalin, and the more Metropolitan Sergius and his accomplices flattered Stalin, the more sacrifices were demanded by the "Leader of all times and nations".<br /><br />During the years of bloody Stalinist terror, many bishops, priests, monks and lay people disappeared without a trace in concentration camps and prisons. Only the Lord knows their number and their names.<br /><br />Metropolitan Sergius and Patriarchs Alexi and Pimen who followed him informed the world of their joys appropos the fact that the USSR was the only country in the world where religion enjoyed complete freedom, and that not only was there in fact no persecution of believers in the USSR, but there could not possibly be any persecution.<br /><br />Latently, and seemingly imperceptibly a chain of villainous substitutions has been woven, a chain which, according to the enemy of mankind could strangle the Church in its mortal grip.<br /><br />New theological conceptions arise. From time to time the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate publishes "theological substitutions" of the unheard of lie about the state of the Orthodox Church in the black years of Yezhov's terror and in the years of the cruel persecution of Khrushchev's era.<br /><br />When the Chairman of the Council for religious Affaiers K.M. Kharchev and his representatives repeat, in their numerous interviews, their long since developed "theory" - that the "religious leaders" in the USSR are combining their theological doctrines with the socialist ideal, it turns out that this "theory" contains no exaggerations. This is how it really is.<br /><br />It is sufficient to familiarize oneself with the speeches and messages of Patriarch Pimen, metropolitans and bishops exposing this "theology" in order to make sure that the officials of the Council for Religious Affairs are right.<br /><br />However, if the socialist ideal becomes part of the theological doctrine or "couples with it", this inevitably reveals RENUNCIATION OF THE TRUE FAITH, because, no matter how much the Council for Religious Affairs would wish this, neither Orthodox dogmas, nor theology contain ANY indication that such "coupling" is possible.<br /><br />Although the enemy of mankind is monotonous in his methods of blaspheming the Truth, amongst the substitutes "soldered into the chian" destined to strangle the Church, there are not only crude lies, cunning, distortions, renunciations and perjuries. There is something else.<br /><br />The favorite method of the enemy of the Church, of the "Church double" is the so-called "change of the sign, turning of meaning into its anti-meaning".<br /><br />Teachers of the Church had become aware of this danger long ago, and its essence was revealed in the Gospels when Christ exposed "religious liars" and hypocrities: "your father is the devil, he is a liar, and the father of lies" (Jn 8:44) - Christ said to those who considered themselves to be "religious leaders".<br /><br />Theocide became ripe in a religious people, in the people who were observing rituals and strove to fulfill the Law. Theocide became ripe in the Synhedrin amongst "religious leaders".<br /><br />This fact does not only belong to history, it is the reality of meta-history, testifying to the Divine Providence regarding the Church. Theocide was justified by the Chief Priest Caiaphas in his "theology of compromises". By killing God he intended to SAVE the people. To save the people who crucified their God.<br /><br />In order to make people obedient to their religious leaders, in order to make them consent to theocide, it is necessary not only to deceive them by offering them the chain of substitutions. To make the substitutes acceptable religious leaders have to instill into people reverence before them and their sanctity.<br /><br />Our creators of myths need more than stories about captivity, they create myths about Patriarchs being fed pills (another variant of captivity!) by atheists, so that he would not understand anything. But the Patriarch, regardless, remains holy (a "bloodless martyr" he was called by someone from amidst the myth-makers).<br /><br />The Patriarch has not once expressed his protest against closing churches, not once has he publicly expressed a regret that the Russian Orthodox Church has been deprived of an opportunity to teach her flock about the Church: there are no books, no journals, while those who dared to produce religious samizdat were even quite recently thrown into prisons and exiled to Siberia...<br /><br />The Patriarch has NOT ONCE raised his voice in the defence of those who were incarcerated for the Word of God...<br /><br />Apparently, the myth-makers consider it possible that pills may be made responsible for this, too. After all the Patriarch is not forced at pistol point to tell lies in his interviews.<br /><br />When one of such interviews with the Patriarch, maintaining that there were no and are no persecutions of faith in the USSR, was made use of by my interrogator in the Lefortovo prison, I felt that Patriarch Pimen's false testimony was quite effectively employed as an "implement" of psychological torture.<br /><br />PATRIARCH'S "martyrdom" must become a model for the flock.<br /><br />One should humbly take pills and humbly give false testimony if this is required to "save the Church". However, the myths about pills and captivity, rumors, legends and gossip do not suffice. There is a need of "theological" validation of the new Christianity - or Renovationism, or whatever you want ot call it: it is necessary not only to validate its bond with the socialist ideal, but also to offer validation of martyrdom without the Cross.<br /><br />For this purpose it would be best to choose out of the spiritual heritage of the Orthodox Church that which might help these two "branches" of the new-Christianity, firstly a comfortable and prosperous Christianity, and secondly a ritual centered Christianity. Substitutes of the spiritual kind, as is well known, are almost imperceptible until their fruit is manifested. The Gospels are given to us as a revelation about the fullness of life in Christ. With all the uniqueness of every individual and the uniqueness of the path of Christ to everyone, we are not given the possibility to exclude from the Gospels that which is beyond our strength, because EVERYTHING IS BEYOND OUR STRENGTH.<br /><br />Without firm faith and Divine grace we do not know anything and do no know how to do anyhting. And we will not attain to any perfection even if we should wish to repeat the ascetic labors of St. Anthony the Great, St. Macarius the Great, St. Basil the Great and St. Seraphim of Sarov. Even if we should succeed in doing something good, we will know that this was accomplished not with our strength but by the power of the Spirit and even then only because our will acted in accordance with the Will of God. Woe to us, if we should think differently!<br /><br />Everyone of our great saints, who left to us the priceless experience of their sainthood, lived in a certain era of the Church's sojourn on the earth. If such saints as Seraphim of Sarov, or the recently canonized and greatly venerated Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov), who are so dear to us and near to our times, had lived in a period of terrible persecutions characteristic of our time, it is quite possible that they would bear witness to the fact that the acquisition of grace as the purpose of a Christian life, the acquisition of a humble spirit are in no way attainable by a hypocritically humble attitude towards the violation of the Gospel meanings of life, but only be the repudiation of satanic distortions of the foundations of the Church life by repudiation preached from the roof tops.<br /><br />Indeed, how is it possible to acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit, to attain a peaceful spirit within oneself, so that "thousands might be saved around you", according to St. Seraphim, if the Grace-Giver's commandments are not complied with?! And who of us would dare to embark upon ascetic efforts of saints, without first having mortified our passions which compel us to feel SATANIC FEAR before the persecutors?!<br /><br />Obedience means realized freedom, while sanctity is created through overcoming of fear. Saints testify that we receive true faith only when we go all the way "to the end"...<br /><br />And yet, a comfortable safe Christianity is in search of sanctity for itself either through faith in rituals, or through an intellectual admiration of the ideals of monastic and ascetic labors.<br /><br />Substitution of ideals deprives one of the possibility of living in accordance with the ideals. Asceticism is the requirement of faith, but it cannot replace faith.<br /><br />The meaning of life, as preached by St. Seraphim of Sarov, has been desirable for a Christian soul throughout the historical life of the Church. However, it cannot eliminate the Cross and, as we are taught by the Holy Church, one may acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit only by keeping the Gospel commandments in their FULLNESS.<br /><br />You cannot "acquire a peaceful spirit so that thousands might be saved around you" by disdaining the prisoners for Christ's sake and by fearing to defend them openly.<br /><br />The Church stands on the blood of the martyrs, on the blood of those, who shed it for their faithfulness to the commandments of Christ, on the blood of those who keeping these commandments exposed their killers. For holy unity is the life of the Church, and only those may become disciples of Christ, according to His word, who do not renounce their unity with the victims of persecution.<br /><br />False humility and false obedience, which are so frequently encountered in our ecclesiological milieux today, are the result of the "spiritual revision" of the Gospels and of the Tradition. The false asceticism is reminiscent of the "spirit of Iudushka"*<br /><br />*>note: The main character of M. Salivkov Shchedrin's novel "The Goloviev Family" (Transl)<br /><br />of Pharisaism and of the hypocrisy of ritualism.<br /><br />It is impossible to live as a Christian: one may only die as a Christian, i.e. meet death in the earthly form of our existence. This, then, is the meaning of going "to the end", according to the Orthodox Ascetic of our times, Archimandrite Sophronius*<br /><br />*>note: Archimandrite Sophronius (Sakharov) "To See God as He Is" England 1985 p. 70<br /><br />the author of the book on the recently canonized Elder Siluan who, in our 20th century, has enriched us with his experiences.<br /><br />One may not erect a dummy of a Golgotha for oneself in order to escape the real one. Sergei Iosifovich Fudel', who strove all his life to comprehend the incognizable fullness of the Church, who had experienced prisons and camps, destitution and sorrows, testified in his books about the suffering and the joy in Christ. Before his death he wrote: "We struggled and we fasted oblivious of the generous sacrifice of the love of Christ which is inaccessible without the Holy Spirit. The holy men told us that it was the Holy Spirit, Who witnessed the suffering of Jesus. If according to the Apostle, 'no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost' (ICor. 12:3), how can one approach the mystery and the power of Golgotha and its love without the Holy Spirit? But it is precisely outside and apart from Golgotha that we wish to establish a new 'not archaic' Christianity which should solve our social problems. The Apostle said: 'Jesus Christ - the same yesterday, and today, and forever' (Heb. 13:8). Here we are dealing not with a different opinion about Christ, which was usually solved by the Councils, here we have two different Christs".<br /><br />At the end of these notes, entitled "The result of everything", S.I. Fudel' cited the Psalmist: "I have seen the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth; my flesh also shall rest in hope" (Ps. 16:8-9). St. Peter said these words to the crowd of people who were about to become the first Christians. We, too, the last Christians in history, stand before God and we must 'see Him' in order not to 'be moved', in order that our 'tongue would rejoice' seeing the dawn of the Spirit, which reveals and through which one may comprehend the true essence of Christianity.Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000679422093371576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264534915299042982.post-23138001662926092902008-05-03T20:18:00.000-07:002008-07-11T12:17:29.427-07:00Chapter 4. The Dark Shadow of Sin and DecayIn our churches we do not hear the word "freedom", although we are granted freedom in the Holy Spirit and taught to "stand in freedom" (Gal. 5:17) and "not to BE THE SERVANTS OF MEN" (ICor. 7:23).<br /><br />In captivity, in ghettos everyone is afraid of another person. Should your hand accidentally touch someone, be he even of the same faith as you, he will recoil horrified, because perchance you may be harboring a devil.<br /><br />Fear of devils is growing in the church community. It may compete in strength only with the fear of church informers, but one should never show them one's fear and withdraw the hand. On the contrary, one should pretend it's alright. Devils in church vestments and in civilian clothes are free in our churches, they are free to enter monastery refectories and church altars.<br /><br />It is frightening.<br /><br />It is generally thought that the fear of devils may be overcome by performing a certain ritual, by reading an akathist, and serving a 'moleben' (a short service).<br /><br />"This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting" (Mt. 17:21) taught the Lord. But who will teach me what is fasting in its true sense, and what is prayer?<br /><br />Who has concealed the teaching from me? Why isn't it preached in churches?<br /><br />Isn't that why an exposure of the fruitless deeds of darkness (Eph.5:11), commanded to us, has now been called JUDGING and is forbidden? Isn't that why it is now considered a sin to speak the truth, while lies, concealment and perjuries are considered as humility, obedience and happiness?<br /><br />Do not bishops, the Heads of dioceses, know that "faith cometh from hearing" (Rom. 10:17)? Why are the foundations of faith not taught in our churches? Why don't the bishops insist on catechetical instruction of their flock? Those who speak of the necessity of religious instruction are declared by bishops to be "gone astray spiritually", they are called dissidents. It is precisely these "spiritual dissidents", rather than the "religious leaders" who try to obtain permission from the state for a wide and free publication of religious literature in all its canons and genres; they are the ones who speak of the necessity to establish religious broadcasts. The CHURCH HIERARCHS, HOWEVER, and apparently out of consideration for the "special wisdom", keep silent about all this, and if, occasionally, they repeat after the "spiritual dissidents" something along their lines, it sounds so unintelligible that it leaves no hope for success.<br /><br />Bishops have excellent libraries, they do not need books, because the "traveling bishops" provide themselves and their fellow-bishops with everything that the West publishes for believers in Russia.<br /><br />Bishops do not have to insist on publication of books. They have more than enough of them.<br /><br />Maybe it is not secular authorities but bishops as well, who are afraid of religious books?<br /><br />The language of Divine services exposes lies. God permitted that our sacred sites and objects, our monasteries and churches be taken away from us, that churches be left without crosses and belfries. He did not, however, take away our opportunity to attend church services, so that "the word might judge", as promised by Christ (Jn 12:48).<br /><br />The liturgical word is as dangerous for false witnesses and pharisees, as Christ the Word of His Father was dangerous for those who crucufied Him.<br /><br />Liturgical language, like a fiery sword, cuts off from the Church those who utter lies against the Truth.<br /><br />But in order to receive and to interiorize the liturgical word, one should acquire strong faith, one should hunger and thirst for truth. Beatitudes are sung in churches at every liturgy, but the Lord gave them to us not just for a concert performance in a church. One needs to make an effort in order to interiorize them. The writings of the Holy Fathers of the Church are needed to explain them. Their meaning impels us to place ourselves before the Divine judgement. Maybe this is the reason why books are feared, and feared by those who do not insist on their publication?<br /><br />Sweet captivity brings bitter fruit. If Christians seek prosperity and accept the conditions of the world, they inevitably invite illnesses and vices of the world upon themselves.<br /><br />"Bow down to me. Not necessarily to the ground straight away; you may just lower your head a little bow lightly, almost imperceptibly to others, both you and I will know about it..."<br /><br />No, the keeper of the world is not so harmless, although he does not ask for much to begin with; he is not so harmless even if he does not begrudge the reward for little things. He is generous with an advance payment, for he knows that he will be payed back in full.<br /><br />A "contract" is always accompanied by pledges and belated regrets. Realization of a contract is guaranteed by a "dossier" containing materials compromising to a "client". According to the experiences of saints the souls of the departed will be confronted at the toll-houses by the devils holding their "dossiers"...<br /><br />The joyous captivity of Metropolitan Sergius and his like-minded companions was not as sweet, as the captivity of his heirs today. As time progressed, the captivity became more splendid. Initially they bargained for life, but gradually fear for life became less acute. All bishops who refused to accept the conditions of the "contract", or who would be capable of rejecting them, disappeared from the face of the earth.<br /><br />New bishops who embarked upon their service were protected against imprisonment and poverty.<br /><br />The symphony of the State and Church sounded now in a new way. Only the firm "foundations" of the symphony remained.<br /><br />In 1942 the Moscow Patriarchate issued a book of 'conclusions', "The Truth About Religion in Russia" where it was written in black and white: "During the 25 years of the Soviet regime the Church experienced not persecution, but rather a return to the times of the Apostles". This "truth" belongs to Metropolitan Sergius and forms the foundation of the new eccesiology of the Moscow Patriarchate. The phrase itself contains not only the lie about the state of the Church "during the 25 years of the Soviet regime", but also the lie about "the times of the Apostles". As is well known, the times of the Apostles were marked by cruel persecution and martyrdom of these Apostles.<br /><br />In the course of years the voluntary captivity indisputably became all the more joyful.<br /><br />Among the joys of captivity were trips abroad, luxuriously appointed residences, summer houses hidden behind tall and inaccessible fences, black and colored cars; the joys of captivity brought respect, fame, adoration, and, finally, state decorations and awards; and together with all the luxury, awards decorations and respect - an impunity and protection on the part of the state authorities, protection from those who might dare to remind the church authorities of Christ.<br /><br />Having become the sole managers of the billions of church money, the hierarchs became something like barons who could now without any control dispose of the wealth which did not belong to them.<br /><br />Corruption and bribery, which flourished in the period of "stagnation" in our society, just as luxuriously blossomed in all sections of the church administration apparatus.<br /><br />This has become evident from numerous letters and complaints of believers which were addressed to bishops, and which, as a rule, remained unanswered. "Thrown into samizdat" these letters cry out about the woes of the Church...<br /><br />These letters tell us, for instance, about the fact that bishops, being monks but now obedient to the principles of the "new ecclesiology", had to subject to revision even the monastic vows of non-acquisitiveness and chastity.<br /><br />"The success of a monk". - wrote St. Maximus the Confessor - "lies in nonacquisitiveness, ignominy, helplessness, temperance, evil suffering, deprivations and the like."<br /><br />In Orthodoxy, spiritual monastic guidance is of extreme importance in its power of influence upon the life of the Church. Orthodoxy is monasticism in its essence, it is the path indicated by the Holy Fathers and Teachers of the Church, it is the path towards union with God, to becoming partakers of Divinity. Monasticism is the spiritual participation in the fight for the purity of Church doctrine; when taking their vows of obedience, monks did not think it possible for them to yield to false teachings and heresies wherever they might be coming from - from Patriarchs, or the annointed sovereigns.<br /><br />Monks stood for Christ's Truth at the Councils, monks defeated heretics and false teachers.<br /><br />St. Maximus the Confessor, the teacher of contemplation and silence, left the monastery and joined in the fight for the Truth when the need arose to defend the Orthodox faith from perilous heresy.<br /><br />Today, when the Church finds herself in a disasterous situation, who but monks who have chosen the path of self-rejection and rejection of ther world, the royal path of obedience to Christ's commandment "to lose their life in this world", who are preparing themselves to endure slander, abuse and persecution, who but monks should find it befitting to fight against apostasy, heresies and any abuses of the Truth?<br /><br />The Holy Fathers called monasticism the glory of the Church of Christ, her blossom, her beauty and her strength.<br /><br />It is natural that those who consider monasticism as the glory of the Church and feel reverence for the holy rank of a bishop, cannot but feel horrified seeing the fruit of disgraceful practices, shown to us by the Lord today. Now we often hear the following said in praise of a bishop: "but, after all, he is not married", or of a priest: "they say, he is a believer"...<br /><br />There were married bishops in the early Christian Church, but they did not take monastic vows. Today married metropolitans and bishops are nothing new for their flock. Moreover, they particularly flourish and stand high in esteem with the powers of this world. Apparently, this qualifies the gross violators of canonical norms of ecclesiastical life to be the most zealous "guardians" of canons and to subject their brothers in faith who are disobedient to them to all kinds of punishment. Today one may often hear that priests are afraid not so much of the atheistic authorities, as of the Church hierarchy.<br /><br />Revision of the Gospel revelation has touched all spheres of Church life.<br /><br />Nevertheless, at the Church Council dedicated to the Millenium of Christianity in Rus', despite its pomposity, the presence of foreigners and constant fear of "fouling one's nest", a few voices made a feeble mention of woes in the life of the Church.<br /><br />Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh said that "we are true Orthodox believers in the narrow sense of the word, we speak the words of truth, but there is no truth within us, our life bears no evidence of this truth".<br /><br />This topic - the impoverishment of faith in the Orthodox clergy who are spiritually unprepared for their service, unenlightened and indifferent, and losing their authority with the Church community - was barely touched upon in some speeches. But, obviously, it could not be brought up the way it should. The Council demonstrated the crisis of Orthodox consciousness. Its proceedings, which one should hope, will be published, will make their way into the history of our Church and will form an edifying testimony to ecclesiological fruitlessness and politicizing, of fruitlessness vainly concealed by a loud and empty verbosity, lacking both genuine pain and genuine love.<br /><br />The devil is laughing at us, while we are grieving by the rivers of Babylon, grieving when we hear about the moral decay of our "bishop-monks", about sodomy, corruption, bribery, intrigues, power struggle, pleasing of men, which are being painstakingly concealed by those who are involved in these things, and by those who, for the time being may benefit from their moral decay. We are grieved and horrified when we hear the news from everywhere (there is nothing secret which would not become obvious) about the new style of RASPUTINISM being rampant at the residences of the Patriarch and his retainers, Rasputinism and blasphemy against the beauty of the holy rank of the Patriarch.<br /><br />God is not slow in manifesting the fruit of disgracefulnes, however carefully hidden.<br /><br />Things that one could not even think about yesterday and that may sound only as a hint today, will be, we are sure, announced from the "roof tops" tomorrow...<br /><br />Another firm Gospel principle was subjected to revision by the Moscow Partiarchate. The principle of an absolute democracy.<br /><br />It was formulated in a quite maximal way in the Gospels, leaving no place for any compromise. "Whosoever of you will be the CHIEFEST, shall be SERVANT of all" (Mk. 10:44).<br /><br />In Sergianism, and in a certain brand of Renovationism another principle prevails: whoever wants to be greater, should subject others to himself, those who stand below him on the hierachial ladder.<br /><br />Naturally such democratism is perilous for the Church, it hampers any manifestation of catholicity (Russ: sobornost).<br /><br />The absence of any democratic principles in the Moscow Patriarchate leads to an authoritarian administrative bureaucratic style of ecclesiastical management. It leads to lack of control, impunity, and offers opportunity to make short work of the disobedient ones immediately. In other words, it creates an "ecclesiastical totalitarianism" alien to the nature of the Church.<br /><br />The Church means, according to the Gospel principles, may belong only to the Church community, because it is the members of a community, parishioners who contribute THEIR OWN means toward the NEEDS of the Church. Even copecks spent after the immediate needs of the parish have been taken care of, must be accounted for before the people, for conscience sake.<br /><br />Today it is the hierarchs who dispose of the church money. They dispose of it at their own discretion; the church leaders themselves channel the "money river" where they please. They give it to whoever they want to, and take from whomever they want to.<br /><br />There is no money to repair the roof of a village church, which owes money to its diocese, to the Danilov monastery - thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of roubles.<br /><br />In the Danilov monastery (referred to as a "spendid monastery" by a village priest), I saw a woman on the porch begging for alms (with the blessing) to pay for repairing the altar in a village church.<br /><br />Danilov monastery is indeed too "splendid" for a monastery in our country where thousands of churches stand destroyed and crippled.<br /><br />Our hierarchs maintain that there is no money for their re-establisment.<br /><br />For the restoration of Danilov monastery, however, which has become a kind of advertisement for the freedom of religion in the USSR, money was obviously flowing from all dioceses, even from those that did not have money for their own needs. It's not for nothing that on the site of the Danilov monastery room was found for the "department of foreign affairs" of the Moscow Patriarchate, called officially the Department of Foreign Church Relations.<br /><br />Here they are beseiged with foreigners. It is difficult to imagine greater inconvenience for a monastery. "All flagships will come to visit is". A new kind of asceticism! Not only will our Russian world intrude upon monastic life, but the "whole world in the world".<br /><br />The Russian Church is suffering from the lawlessness of HER OWN, the Church community is suffering, people are seeking justice, knocking at the doors of their brothers in faith, appealing to their conscience, appealing for protection. In villages and towns, amidst the beauty of the created world, there stand the ruined and defiled churches with the crosses knocked off and the windows boarded up. Church bells no longer bless the vast spaces of our land with their ringing; the land is dotted with crippled churches, like open wounds.<br /><br />The very soil is suffering. It does not produce grain, nor potatoes, nor enough other vegetables; they are brought in from overseas to feed us. The soil will not provide bread to satiety until our people move God to show His mercy for our repentance, until the prayers of the Russian Church bring down God's forgiveness for all our transgressions, for the fratricidal blood.<br /><br />People exhausted by lies within their church enclosures travel along the roads of Russia to their diocesan centers, even to the Patriarchate, some because they are tired of lies, some asking for their communities to be registered, others seeking justice with the Patriarch, with bishops, with the Holy Synod. All in vain.<br /><br />Our bishops were silent when the families of the prisoners for Christ's sake asked for their protection, they are silent today, when people ask them to bring plunderers and drunkards to their senses, so that they would stop defiling their clerical state. They keep silent.<br /><br />"What's the matter with you? Don't you know that we are held captive?"<br /><br />And there are many of those who have lost their patience and humility, who do not want to believe in the "captivity". Are there many of those intolerant to lies? Two, or three?<br /><br />God will count his LITTLE FLOCK. Bishops love to count in millions, when they are invited to give interviews for newspapers, or television; when they are sent abroad to take part in symposia and forums. "Millions of believers, millions of copies..."<br /><br />This is an altogether different, large scale statistics.<br /><br />The question arises in one's mind: if millions of believers purchase millions of expensive books, then why are these billions of roubles gained through these millions of transactions not enough to repair an altar, or a roof on a village church?Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000679422093371576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264534915299042982.post-44832153951838492712008-05-03T20:16:00.000-07:002012-10-04T18:46:19.662-07:00Chapter 5. Division through Christ: Spiritual SchismThere are no unforgivable sins, so the Holy Fathers teach us; there is only an unrepented sin. At first there is only a bud, only leaves on a fruitless fig-tree, but leaves do not nourish, and the Lord condemns it for barrenness.<br />
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Any betrayal of the Word of God, even seemingly an insignificant one, inevitably causes moral decay.<br />
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And then, whatever happened to Saul, happens to us. Samuel said to Saul: "Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?" (Kings 15:19)... Because "thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee.." (Kings 15:23).<br />
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"But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him" (I Kings 16:14).<br />
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Saul was God's anointed one, and he had a special charisma. I shall repeat: grace is not a life-long rent, or a seal affixed to paper.<br />
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Therefore, when grace left Saul for "disobeying the voice of the Lord", the GATES OF HELL overpowered him and an evil spirit possessed him, the spirit of envy and hatred, the spirit of fear for oneself, compelling him to commit crimes.<br />
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"BY APPEARANCE" he still remained the king, he SEEMED to be the anointed one; but his kingdom was torn away from him.<br />
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Another man was already anointed the king.<br />
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Thus, the mysterious power of the Divine grace chooses those who are pleasing to God, who are not yet manifested to the world, and rejects the kings, the anointed ones of yesterday. People of the world, and rejects the kings, the anointed ones of yesterday. People of the world still continue to honor them as priests and kings, which they no longer are. The world is still pleased with them (as the men of high rank) but their contract with the keeper of this world has lost its power.<br />
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The history of the Church knows of many instances when apostates and heretics were a patriarch, bishops, and God-annointed sovereigns.<br />
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St. Maximus the Confessor showed an example of an uncompromising service to Christ's Truth in opposing those who, it would seem, possessed the charisma of bishops, seemed to have an indisputable authority. St. Maximus repudiated not only the lie of the Patriarch and the bishops, he repudiated the decisions of the false Councils: "All these Councils (inplying the Councils which confirmed the false teaching) were summoned by the Emperor's orders. However, these Councils were rejected and anathematized, because the definitions of faith drawn up by them were of a godless and anti-Christian nature. (Commemoration of St. Maximus 21 Jan.)<br />
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Refusing to communicate with the throne of Constantinople, St. Maximus declared that those who at their Councils repudiated the true faith by approving heretical and apostate resolutions, have "many times excommunicated themselves from the Chruch and exposed their un-Orthodoxy".<br />
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The Saint was declared "the Emperor's enemy" and slandered as a state criminal.<br />
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The devil is monotonous; he has no other variants of struggle against the faithful disciples of Christ.<br />
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Church Councils have a special meaning in the life of the Orthodox Church. Not only because of the struggle for the Truth, for the purity of faith taking place there, but also because Councils disclose dangerous tendencies in ecclesiastical life: heresies, betrayal of doctrine, spiritual splits with the tradition. The Church should certainly ASSEMBLE in order to learn about her ills.<br />
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In this sense the Council dedicated to the Millennium of Christianity in Rus' was essential not only as a festive meeting to mark the portentous event in the life of our country, but also as an assembly demonstrating the spiritual realities which God willed to reveal to the world today.<br />
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Anyone who adopted. or thirsts for partaking in a true life of the Church, who more or less knows her history, who seeks to learn of the mysterious meanings of Orthodoxy so inseparably linked with the invisible Church, with the power of saints, anyone will raise the question: how could it have happened that the council of the Russian Orthodox Church refused to canonize the new martyrs and confessors of Russia already canonized by the Russian Synodal Church abroad?<br />
<br />
Metropolitan Yuvenali explained that if the new martyrs and confessors were to be canonized, "the sacred act of canonization mat be turned into an expression of 'political emotions' (BY WHOM, remained unclear) and may be used for some 'non-church' purpose" (BY WHOM? This also remained a secret.)*<br />
<br />
*note: See Press-Release No. 1 11/5-88, publ. by the Moscow Patriarchate<br />
<br />
How could it have happened that not one bishop ventured a different opinion on this subject? Don't they know that the new martyrs and confessors are revered as saints by many Orthodox people in Russia, and that the Church community is AWAITING THEIR CANONIZATION by our Church?!<br />
<br />
Apparently the "delegates" to the Council were just as strictly selected as are the "aspirants" to the rank of bishops. This alone may explain the fact that ALL participants of the Council dutifully approved of the stand regarding the innocent martys for Christ's sake, the stand unprecedented in Orthodoxy. In this they were unanimous, thus revealing their own un-Orthodoxy. They exposed themselves by disputing the truth expressed by the Holy Patriarch Tikhon at the Council of 1917-18.<br />
<br />
In those years of severe persecution of the Church, Patriarch Tikhon testified that those victims of execution SUFERED "FOR FAITH AND THE ORTHODOX CHURCH"*<br />
<br />
*note: see ISERKOYNYE vedomosti 1918 15-1<br />
<br />
The decision of the Council and the opinion of the Holy Patriarch Tikhon have never been disputed at any of the subsequent Councils of the Russian Orthodox Church. May one now think that the Council of 1988 has subjected to REVISION the spiritual direction of the 1917-18 Council regarding the new martyrs and confessors?<br />
<br />
In Christianity there are no such concepts as subordination. The lesser is blessed by the greater, but it is God Who blesses. In the Church there is no such concept as discipline. The Church is not a party. In the Church, as is well known, one sinner, one errant soul may be preferred to ninety-nine righteous ones. And decisions of Councils, even if they were passed unanimously, may not be considered infallible by the Orthodox Church.<br />
<br />
In Orthodoxy only Christ, the Head of the Church, is infallible. Christ - the moral authority in Orthodoxy, Who is above all "hierarchial authorities". Therefore the history of our Church knows many instances when unanimous resolutions of Councils were acknowledged as erronous and were anathemized.<br />
<br />
In the struggle for Truth neither subordination, nor discipline have any advantages. The Church lives by her unity and acts through her love. In her spiritual life (canonization of saints is an event on the SPIRITUAL plane) the Church takes no account of political emotions, they SHOULD NOT even be discussed by her members.<br />
<br />
There are no prohibitions in her doctrine to revere as saints those who may seem to the world to be politcial criminals, because according to the true promise of Christ all those persecuted for faith will be SLANDERED.<br />
<br />
The keeper of the world and his servants are concerned with slander, the concern of the Church is not to heed any slander.<br />
<br />
This "qualification" originated at Golgotha. The Chief Priests, while demanding theocide, kept telling Pilate that Christ was Caesar's enemy.<br />
<br />
Christ was the FIRST (in the new history of mankind), Who aroused "political emotions" with his executioners. After Him the Apostles were punished as political villains, and they were followed by a host of martyrs declared as state and political criminals.<br />
<br />
The early Christians worshipped at the tombs of martyrs, revering them as saints; the latter were canonized without "voting" and any special Councils. Christians would COME TOGETHER at the relics of martyrs and pray to them. The Holy Apostolic Church lived and still lives in the most profound prayerful UNION with martyrs and confessors; "she is sanctified by martyrs and her altar rests on their holy relics" (St. Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople).<br />
<br />
This has always been the treasure of the Church, which passes not away, her seed, her glory, her love.<br />
<br />
Confessors were invested with a particular moral authority in the early Christian Church. Twenty centuries have passed and we are ashamed to acknowledge our SAINTS as saints, so as no to arouse "emotions"!<br />
<br />
This fact reaches out far beyond the framework of the "incident" which occurred at the Council in connection with the statement of Metropolitan Yuvenali. In this incident, we see in precise focus the new trends of the Russian Orthodox Church. This incident reveals precisely an essential difference between FAITH (faith cannot tolerte such a thing!) and the system of RELIGIOUS opinions, the system "substituting" its already lost or not yet acquired faith.<br />
<br />
These new trends are no less dramatic for the Church, than the iconoclasm, schisms and heresies experienced by the Church in her history. A.S. Khomyakov wrote: "There were heretical councils, as, for instance, those which produced the semi-Arian Creed: Councils where the number of subscribing bishops was twice as high as of those at the Nicean Council. Councils where Emperors approved heresies. Patriarchs proclaimed heresies, Popes submitted to heresies. Why then repudiate the Councils which externally did not differ from the Oecumenical Councils? Soley because their resolutions were not acknowledged as the voice of the Church by the ENTIRE CHURCH COMMUNITY, by the people and the milieux where in the questions of faith there is no difference beween a scholar and an ignoramus, a cleric and a layman, a man and a woman, a sovereign and his subject, a slave owner and a slave; where the need arising, at the Divine discretion, a youth is granted the gift of vision, an infant - illiterate shepherd, in order that there should be oneness in the free union of faith which is the manifestation of the Spirit of God" (Vol. 2, 3rd ed., p.71-72).<br />
<br />
God rests in His saints. Therefore the failure to acknowledge out of political considerations, those saints who He chose to die a martyr's death oir the glory of the Church, means not only an insult to the saints but also to God resting within them. "Holy before the Lord is the death of His saints" - we chant during the Divine services. Is it possible to insult the Spirit of God out of political consideration? Isn't it frightening, isn't it bitter to be aware of a heavy trouble among those whose rank arouses our reverence?<br />
<br />
And, finally, was this blasphemy uttered by Metropolitan Yuvenali on his own initiative?<br />
<br />
It would be absurd, even for our myth-makers, to think that this followed as the result of someone's instruction, or order, and that the list of the saints' names subject to canonization was "passed down" from the higher instances! Even a prisoner in the dock, guarded by a convoy, is free to say whatever he wants to say.<br />
<br />
Feeling awe before the rank of Metropolitan Yuvenali and his brethren in faith we cannot even assume that a bishop might lie to please the regime, or accomodate any inferior motives, that he might be frightened by a rejection on the part of the authroities in power, be they ecclesiastical or secular.<br />
<br />
May our statements not be reckoned as contempt orcensure of the Church hierarchy!<br />
<br />
Undoubtedly, this was the manifestation of Metropolitan Yuvenali's PERSONAL freedom, of his attitude to Russia's new martyrs, which coincided with the opinions of those bishops who were present at the Council and who did not dispute this point of view.<br />
<br />
After all, bishops having the task of Apostolic service are free in the Lord, as is anyone confessing Christ's Divinity, and there is no power which could force a Christian to blaspheme saints if he is not willing to do so.<br />
<br />
But is this a blasphemy? Is persecution a blasphemy?<br />
<br />
Persecution is always bound with defamation,slander, blasphemy, hatred.<br />
<br />
The Lord disclosed the meaning of persecution: "Blessedare ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner o evil against you falsely for My sake", i.e. accuse you in what you have not done, only because you were faithful to Me, confessed Me. "Why persecutest thou Me?", -heard the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4). Whoever persecutes, reviles, slanders, and finally, REPEATS someone else's slander, he persecutes and disgraces Christ. "Why persecutest thou Me?"<br />
<br />
"If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and ofGod resteth upon you; on their part he IS EVIL SPOKEN OF, but on your part he IS GLORIFIED" (IPeter 4:14).<br />
<br />
Here, in the Gospel teaching on persecution everything is laid bare and all meanings are disclosed. Only the loss of faith may deprive one of an oppportunity to hear these meanings: to hear that blasphemy directed at the disciples of Christ is blasphemy against the Spirit of God. It is He, the witness of Jesus' suffering, Who reminds Christ's disciples that if evil is spoken against you and you are called political criminals, you are blessed, i.e. you are granted happiness, for God knows WHY you are presecuted by those who hate His name.<br />
<br />
However, those who do not have happiness always want to take possession of it, being of the opinion that happiness lies "within the competence" of those in power and that they who possess either the ecclesiastical of secular power can deprive one of happiness by means of slander and blasphemy...<br />
<br />
For Metropolitan Yuvenali canonization is not a mystical, or spiritual act, but rather a political one, and it cannot deal with the blessedness of those persecuted for Christ's sake. Firstly Metropolitan Yuvenali supposes that only those should be canonized who would not arouse "political emotions". Secondly, canonization of saints, who MAY BE acknowledged as saints according to the Metropolitan, "reflects a responsible and reasonable approach to comprehension of the most recent history". Sad as it may be, all these formulations testify to the fact that Metropolitan Yuvenali disregards the principles of the true faith within the Church. <br />
<br />
Orthodox believers are united with their saints not FORMALLY, but in reality; and these real relations in no way depend on the comprehension of not only "the most recent history", but any history, because sanctity, according to the true faith, lies outside history; sanctity is the perfection of the perfect ones and is not subject to the criteria promoted by Metropolitan Yuvenali and undisputed by anyone of the participants in the Council.<br />
<br />
The political thinking of Metropolitan Yuvenali not only contradicts the principles of Orthodoxy, but it also serves a certain purpose in the political interpretation of events bound up with the persecution of the Church. It turned out that the organization of ecclesiastical life on the principles of loyalty, as declared by Metropolitan Yuvenali at the Councuil of the Russian Orthodox Chruch, has been hindered by an "insufficient awareness of the part of a certain section of the Russian Chruch of the seriousness of what happened in our country in 1917."<br />
<br />
If one were to remove verbal husks off the meaning of this phrase marked by its political double meaning, it would become obvious that it dealt with the apology for persecution. "Insufficient awareness" on the part of the victims of persecution??<br />
<br />
It follows thus that they themselves were to blame for their execution!! And hieromartyr Metropolitan Philip also had himself to blame! He asked for it. He has even more to be blamed than those who had an "insufficient awareness".<br />
<br />
Metrpolitan Philip, humblest of the humble, dared say to God's annointed, the Tsar Ivan the Terrible, that he was a murderer. If it were in the Metropolitan Yuvenali's power he would not permit the canonization of the hieromartyr Philip. By the way, Metroplotian Philip of Moscow had suffered from his fellow-bishops as much as the hieromartyrs Veniamin, the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Vladimir, the Metropolitan of Kiev, together with the host of the new martyrs and confessors have now suffered from the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Chrurch.<br />
<br />
"There is still another path leading to irreverence - namely insensitivity to the loss of virtue" said St. Maximus the Confessor.<br />
<br />
It was precisely, bishops who tore off the vestments from Metropolitan Philip, as ordered by the Tsar. He, too, was declared the state villain, and was suffocated, to the disgrace of those bishops who betrayed him.<br />
<br />
However, the time came when, by the grace of God, the Church realized the disgrace of the betrayal and repented...<br />
<br />
The act of rejection by our bishops of unity with the new martyrs, unity with the Church in Heaven, may possibly conceal the sin of a SPIRITUAL SCHISM SPLIT with the Orthodoxy of ther Fathers. "Whoever does not choose and desire with all his love and in all humility to unite with the most recent of all the saints, and is mistrustful of him, he will never achieve union with the previous saints and he will not find his place among them, although it may seem to him that he has full faith and love for God and all his saints" - wrote St. Simeon the New Theoloian is ... Theological chapters, - "HE WILL BE REJECTED BY THEM..."*<br />
<br />
*note: St. Simeon the New Theologian Vol 2, p. 560<br />
<br />
No one of the earthly powers is responsible for the renounciation. It was made voluntarily. Insensitivity to the loss of virtue resulted in double-dealing and a "theology of compromises".<br />
<br />
Spiritual ruptures and betrayals, heresies and schisms. Fiery severance by Christ. And the Cross.<br />
<br />
This was and still is the life of the Church. It is precisely in these trials that her invincible power gains strength.<br />
<br />
Does this mean, then, that our "candlestick has been removed out his place"? (Rev. 2:5)<br />
<br />
And the gates of hell have drawn so close to the gates of the Church that we find ourselves poised between life and non-existence?<br />
<br />
Does this mean that the hope for Holy Rus' which Holy Mother of God had more than once told about in Her revelations to those to whom She appeared that this hope will not come true, not yet?<br />
<br />
And the hope for Holy Rus' cherished by our brothers and sisters in faith who live far away from our Mother-Church and are scattered throughout the face of the earth, will that hope, too, remain unrealized? Does this mean that there is no Holy Rus', the City of Kitazh, the "holy remnant" who have not bowed their head, nor bent their knees before the Baal? A.S. Khomyakov wrote, "One feels ashamed for the Church which has fallen so low that she remorselessly recommends herself to governments and peoples, as if she were a hired brigade bargaining for payment in money, in protection or esteem - for the diligent service rendered."*<br />
<br />
*note: A.S. Khomyakov Vol 2. 5th ed. p. 82-83<br />
<br />
Does this mean that the Lord's promises about the invincibility of the Church have not come true?<br />
<br />
Our faith tells us differently. Holy Rus' is indestructible. Our faith knows that there is no such power which could destroy her, that hell is powerless before her, who suffers immeasurably, who triumphs over the gates of hell through her sufferings and her thirst for Christ.<br />
<br />
In his "Letters to Friends", Michael Novoselov, the well known church writer who, in all probability, died a martyr's death in the years of the Stalinist terror, *<br />
<br />
*note: See "Nadezhda" Christian readings No. 10, p. 155<br />
<br />
used to dwell on problems of the church life, which are actual even today: "Let us not be embarrassed by the faithlessness of many priests and archbishops, as some unexpected phenomenon; this is nothing new for the Church of God. Her moral upheavals which were always caused by her hierarchs, not by the faithful, were so frequent and so great, that they gave occasion to an edifying witticism: 'if bishops have not prevailed upon her, the gates of hell certainly will not'. Let us also not be puzzled by the fact that simple monks and ordinary lay people, often more than archbishops, show zeal for things Divine, as well as spiritual reasoning and in the past, too - acccording to St. Ilarius of Piktavia - 'the ears of people would turn out to be holier than the hearts of hierarchs'. Not by herarchs alone was the strength of the church<br />
maintained, it is not they, and not learned theologians, who preserve her sacred treasure - the Spirit of Truth, who abides in her glorious first Elders. Passing on her heavenly treasure from one age to another the Church of Christ has watched over it with the help of those whose names are written in the book of life, not in the credentials of hierarchial rank and scholarly diplomas, because a genuine church consciousness proceeds not along the hierarchial and scholarly path, but along the course of sanctity."<br />
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The Church does not pay spiritual tribute to anyone, and it is in vain that the "religious leaders" declare themselves as the church, for there is no respect of persons with the Lord. The Church does not refuse to canonize saints out of fear of arousing "political emotions". She does not fear anyone, she fears only to insult God and His grace. And she "receives a Kindgom which cannot be moved..with reverence and godly fear: for out God is a consuming fire" (Hebr. 12: 28-29).<br />
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She has a different language, the LANGUAGE OF FAITH. She is hidden in the deserts of the heart, and no one may reach her by violence.<br />
<br />
In the Letters already mentioned Michael Novoselov quotes excerpts from the research on the Church done by Prince D.A. Khilkov, an ecclesiastical apologist, as he is characterized by M. Novoselov.<br />
<br />
"If, from the Gospel point of view, the Church is acknowledged to be - the temple of the Holy Spirit, the Body of Christ and the living Organism, then all our ideas about her change... After all, the Church is the life in Christ of hundreds of millions of people. why should we think that this life in Christ of these hundred millions, or of their part, is not the same life which was previously lived by the parts and molecules of the Body of Christ?<br />
<br />
"According to the Holy Fathers, viewing the Church as a living organism and at the same time pointing to a Synod, or group of archbishops,*<br />
<br />
*note: Probably , D.A. Khilkov's correspondent had pointed at some ugly act of the Synod "defining", as he thought, the sanctity of the Church and undermining her authority. (M Novoselov's note.)<br />
<br />
would be the same as to walk up to an apple-tree, point at the hollow in it and say: you maintain that this apple-tree is alive and real, but look - there is an empty hole filled with dirt and dust... And another simile: a 'malignant growth' appeared on a man's body. Doctors diagnosed it. Now the question is: how does this growth relate to this individaul man? Let us say, our individual lives in our body, in our hand, foot, in ears. Suddenly a 'growth ' appears. I ask, do we live in this growth? Christ replies: as long as the growth is 'felt', as long as we feel pain when it is 'pricked', so long you undoubtedly live in this growth. If, however, the 'sensitivity is lost - let the growth be to you like a heathen and a publican. If it should 'disobey', and its sensitivity be lost, it is no longer part of the body."<br />
<br />
Let us interrupt D.A. Khilkov's reasonings and remember the Lord's advice to "cut off and cast away from thee the offending eye or hand, "for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not they whole body should be cast into hell" (Mt. 5:30). Isn't it the way the Lord protects His whole Body, His Church, cutting off her tempting members? It should be noted here that we often incorrectly understand the word "temptation", hiding temptation from ourselves and from others, considering that the truth about the woes of the Church is more of a temptaion, than lies. But there is nothing more awful and dangerous, than lies in the church life, nothing more awful and dangerous than an indifference towards the defilement of the sanctity of the Church by lies!<br />
<br />
D.A. Khilkov continues: "Imagine that in our own time the things were to happen which are bound to happen: that out of 100 bishops 99 and out of 80 million - 79 million 999.990 would renounce Orthodoxy. What of it? Nothing at all! This would affect deserters, but not at all would the Church be affected. The Church would remain the Body of Christ and the New Organism, as it was before" (77).<br />
<br />
Let us now continue D.A. Khilkov's train of thought><br />
<br />
Did they not talk in the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th centuries that the Russian Orthodox Church was "paralyzed"; had not Metropolitan Of Moscow Filaret (Drosdov) complained that the Church was enfeebled by spiritual persecution? Had not our saints expressed their sorrow about the decline of Christianity in Russia when the Church was obviously prospering externally? St. Tikhon of Zadonsk wrote: "One should fear lest Christianity, being life, sacrament and spirit, should imperceptibly disappear from the community which does not know how to cherish this invaluable gift of God."<br />
<br />
The newly canonized saint, Bishop Ignatius Bryanchaninov, in his letter and works indicated that the "times are frightening...and there is no one who might restore Christianity! The vessels of the Holy Spirit have run dry everywhere, even in monasteries, these depositories of piety and grace, while the cause of the Holy Spirit may be maintained and restored only by His tools". "...living organs of the Divine grace have grown decisively scarce; wolves have appeared in their vestments deceiving and destroying the sheep...", "...St. Athanasius the Great said that one of the signs of the imminent arrival of Antichrist will be the transition from church management by bishops to secular bureaucratic management. A true sign indeed! This may eventuate, if the clergy should lose their essential spiritual meaning and their energy generated by a decisive renunciation fo the world...", "...secular officials have destroyed the essential meaning of the church hierarchy, they have destroyed the bond between priests and their flocks, while love for the world, an insatiable yearning for vain honors, for accumultation of capital - have destroyed Christians in pastors, leaving in them only contemptible and hated policemen..." "...the Scriptural predictions are coming true: the faith of our people and in all hitherto Orthodox countries has waxed cold"; "...the cause of the Orthodox faith may be considered as approaching a decisive denouncement... Only God's special mercy may halt the disasterous moral epidemic, for a while of course, because Scriptural predictions will have come true".<br />
<br />
The Divine mercy hoped for by the saints stopped this "disastrous epidemic". The powerful wave of martyrdom and confession of faith unprecedented in the history of Christianity, which has manifested itself in this century in Russia, turned out to be an edifying lesson to the whole world, to the whole of mankind, which is losing Christianity as life, sacrament and spirit.<br />
<br />
God reminds us of Himself by sorrows nad disasters, and being horrified by their painful blows we are unable to see their good fruits.<br />
<br />
Our martyrs and confessors belong to mankind as a WHOLE.<br />
<br />
Now at the end of times when Christianity, as never before, has become threatened by the danger of turning into the salt which has lost its savor, when mankind has been prepared by Satanic malice to accumulate enough fire for its own destruction, God has once again brought to the world the glory and power of His Cross.<br />
<br />
The Holy Rus' lives in time, in history, but like the Body of Christ, she belongs to neither time nor history. Christ was the Same yesterday as He is today. When we read the Apostolic Epistles that in the times of the Apostles there were false apostles, false bishops and cunning people who tried to spiritually weaken the Church, this referes no only to those times, but to ours as well. This is our "church time". And when we learn from the Revelation that the Ephesian Church, famous for it patience, faithfulness to Christ, for its non-acceptance of depravity by the church community, has in its midst liars who called themselves apostles without being such (Rev.2:2), then this also is our "church time" repeating itself in the history of the Church dispensation of God. The words of St. John Chrysostom: "I fear no one in the world, I fear only bishops", also belong to our times. As well as the bitter, prophetic words of St. Seraphim of Sarov, saying that the time will come when archbishops willbecome so impious, as to betray dogmas of faith...<br />
<br />
And the beast will be allowed to overcome the saints, as we read with trembling in Chapter 13 of the Revelation. "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world " (Rev. 13:8). We are not given to know, how this BOOK OF LIFE is being written. But it is possible that the reason for the beast being allowed to overcome the saints, is that those who will not want to worship the beast and receive his mark on the forehead - on mind and action - might be entered into this book of eternal bliss and joy.<br />
<br />
It is possible that the "mystical revolution", permitted by the Divine Providence for the salvation of those who will thirst for God, the confrontation of world Christianity with the apocalyptic beast, marks the beginning of the new era in the life of the One Catholic and Apostolic Church.<br />
<br />
This new era may require the unraveling of the most complex ecclesiological and anthropological problems bound up with the 20th century cataclysms in the life of the Church. It may require spiritual clarification of interrelationships between the Church hierarchy and the Orthodox people, and the return to the type of interrelationships characteristic of Early Christianity and based on an absolute democratism. Only this kind of church democratism may give grace-filled strength for catholicity (Russ: 'sobornost'), love and unity before the face of the apocalyptic beast.<br />
<br />
Constantine's era during which many of the Church's still existing regulations came into effect, is a thing of the past. Our time carries us towards the "end of history", and its meanings will inevitably impel the Church to perfect her external and internal life.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Things that happened to us during recent decades have not yet been given ecclesiological meaning in the context of METAHISTORY, in the context of the Gospel revelation about the destiny of Christianity.<br />
<br />
We have witnessed the fact that "political emothions" turned out to be of greater importance to Russian bishops that the Gospel realities. We have witnessed the fruits, produced by "selection work" by atheistic powers. May we doubt that the Satanic hatred of God and of the Church will not run dry, cannot run dry during the earthly sojourn of the Church? And that it may rule over not only the godless mind, but also the minds of those who think themselves as the servants of Christ?<br />
<br />
This malice knows no limits and national boundaries, it knows of no laws and canons. today it flares up. God permitting, in one part of the world, tomorrow it may toss its flames to another part. Hence, during this earthly times, this dreadful struggle for each soul between the beast and the Holy Apostolic Church will never cease.<br />
<br />
And never, not an iota, will the unshakable Kingdom move.<br />
<br />
And no matter how distressing the spiritual break of individual servants of the Church from Orthodoxy might be, no matter how ugly the fruits hiding under the dark shadow of sin and decay - it is essential in these troubled times to strive fervently to achieve unity while defending the teaching of the Holy Church.<br />
<br />
"If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place (Ec. 10:4)<br />
<br />
...The Russian Church weeps on the rivers of Babylon. She laments burdened by sorrows, betrayals, desecrations; she laments, harbored by the Lord from ruinous temptations, and pleads for the faint-hearted. Pilgrims wander along the roads of Russia in search of truth.<br />
<br />
"Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory" (Ps 115:1)<br />
<br />
By God's will the Church lies concealed in the inmost recesses of the souls of His faithful and the righteous, for the sake of whom the world is protected, for the time being, from the all-consuming fire. She lies hidden in the innermost deserts of the heart. She cannot be reached, no matter how thick the darkness, enslaving those who want to be enslaved.<br />
<br />
it is impossible to burn her in the furnace of Babylon, or to take her away from anyone of us, because we carry her on our hearts.<br />
<br />
***<br />
The Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, 1988<br />
***<br />
March 1989 "Orthodox Action" in Australia, P.O. Box 159, Thomastown, Vic. 3074<br />
Printing Press of St. Xenia of Petersburg<br />
<br />
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<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000679422093371576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264534915299042982.post-83149984642434597792008-05-03T20:12:00.000-07:002011-11-05T17:52:18.507-07:00Appendix I: The Dire Need of Enlightenment in Russia and the West<div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">by Zoya Krakhmalnikova</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">THE RELIGIOUS philosophy of such thinkers as N. Berdyaev is extremely popular in Russia, offering a certain form of education, but it cannot give Enlightenment. It opens to man the "possibility" of a way of religious self-consciousness, it opens to him that he is created by God and is endowed with freedom, but it cannot give the knowledge of HOW to acquire this freedom. And the freedom, although it is described in all aspects, turns out to be merely 'intellectual capital' which cannot be put in circulation.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">A philosophy of this kind does not know repentance as an ontological and anthropological problem. It knows it merely as an idea, as a category of human existence, but not as a path to the renewal of the mind, the change of the mind and the purification of the heart. Freedom, without change of mind and purification of mind and heart acquired by spiritual labor, is an ideal, a dream, a beautiful but impotent knowledge. Religious philosophy provides praiseworthy education and knowledge about man, about his moral microcosm. But this knowledge is passive, just as knowledge acquired in a dream.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">One must assume that the development of such a type of religious-philosophical knowledge was bound up with the religious life of that bygone Russia, with its multitude of monasteries, with its "forty times forty" churches, with its decades of religious magazines, with the freedom of religious preaching: a Christian in that era could easily quench his thirst for "living watter." It's quite irrelevant that the life 'had gone dry'; and one of the purposes of the "Russian Religious Renaissance was to awaken it. But it made use of forms of 'culture', without means of Enlightenment. Religion was offered as a 'fragment of culture', Christianity as merely knowledge about men and God.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Today, desolated Russian Christianity is discovered as the Good News of salvation and as a labor of saving oneself and others. We are returning, we must return, as any cost to the original Apostolic times, when there also were no books, no monasteries, no elders, no churches, when Saul was setting out to go to Damascus, in order to be overcome by 'blindness' and, from the non-rational fire of Pentecost, to be given sight.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Understanding of religion as a fragment of culture, formulated as it is in the secularized religious consciousness, most likely cannot disappear. This is a sickness and it can be cured only when the Cross moves from the 'ideal' of intellectual freedom and becomes a tool of 'spiritual' freedom. People will object, stating that intellectual freedom, is, after all, not that bad, and that in the Godless world, recognition of God even as a myth and religion even as a fragment of culture - also has some worth. Morality as a fragment of the "general culture" of man, as an inheritance of humanism, can easily convert the "forty times forty" churches into terrifying ruins, monasteries into objects of mockery; monks and priests into prisoners (of Gulag).</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Therefore, awakening Russia today means a 'different' attitude towards culture, towards Enlightenment of education, and towards morality. When we say "in Russia," we mean first of all of course the church people, the "holy remnant' of the nation, considering that precisely in this rests our entire hope for the salvation of our nation and, moreover, the salvation of the whole world. And we speak this with full responsibility and full hope, that we will be 'heard' by those to whom the salvation of Russia is not an empty sound, not just a verbal figure, not a dead idea, but a living reality that demands action.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Enlightenment is indispensable for Russia. It is indispensable not only for "anonymous churches," for "Protestantizers," and for priests and the "lay Apostolate." It is also indispensable for those to whom they come out to preach, for those who are still waiting, who want but are afraid to seek out, who yearn in hope and in suffering, fearing that today or tomorrow something might happen. But what, what else can happen? War? Another national tragedy? What else has God prepared for Russia?</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Before doing anything one must 'be'. One must 'be'- either in war, or in concentration camps, or in prisons, or incarcerated in psychiatric torture chambers, in family or in work - everywhere one must know how to 'be', then nothing will be frightening to you. Then you are 'free'.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">But who will teach me to 'BE"? "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"(Rom 7:24).</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Only God and only through people, who bring me Enlightenment.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Thus, in Russia, the cardinal problem emerges of 'renewing' the culture. It is being raised by our very reality [today] with the same intensity as it was raised long ago at the time of the Baptism of Russia, when they faced the issue of creating Russian Christian Culture.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">--From 'Nashi Vesti" Quarterly (West Milford, N.J. Sept. 1988), p. 3</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000679422093371576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264534915299042982.post-64970017353025228122008-05-03T15:06:00.000-07:002012-10-04T18:44:55.811-07:00Appendix II You Can't Vanquish the Church by Crucifying her Flock<div style="font: 16.0px Courier; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
by Zoya Krakhmalnikova</div>
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<b>1. THE PUBLICATION OF NADEZHDA</b></div>
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I finished compiling NADEZHDA in 1982, before my arrest. The project amounted to 10 books - 3,000 typewritten pages. This library of Christian readings was the result of my work of several years. It received the blessing of many hierarchs of the Orthodox Church (the Russian Church Abroad, the Church of Constantinople, the American Church). I compiled NADEZHDA in the years of the so-called "stagnation," when religious sermons and religious literature were considered to be criminal phenomena. The "criminal case" of NADEZHDA was entrusted to a KGB investigator of 'particular important cases.' He was assisted by a group of about 10 investigators from several cities who came to be trained in processing similar "cases of special importance.' After my release (from the five-year period of detention - I was freed in July 1987 without any preliminary conditions) I had no intentions to continue with my journal. My project was accomplished before my arrest: the texts which I had collected in the course of several years were offered to the reader. In order to continue this work today, certain specific conditions and assistance of the Church would be required. The journal NADEZHDA should be made 'legal.' The books of NADEZHDA were being barbarously destroyed by punitive organs and Christians themselves who were in fear of persecution and arrests...In the USSR, as you know, religious books were considered as dangerous as "pershings"; they were and still are regarded ""subversive material," endangering the security of our country. Assuming that the times are now changing, that the period of glastnost' and perestroika makes the legalization of NADEZHDA possible and necessary, I approach the Publications Department of the Moscow Patriarchate with the request to publish the 10 books of NADEZHDA. I reminded the Chairman of the Department, Metropolitan Pitrim, that NADEZHDA continued the traditions of edifying readings which were widely published in Russia, and that it is intended for our compatriots who are in great need of religious literature. I also reminded him that NADEZHDA was published abroad only because it could not be published in the USSR. Metropolitan Pitrim is well aware that during the Soviet regime the Moscow Patriarchate has not published a 'single book' of Christian readings. I suggested to Metropolitan Pitrim that he might take advantage of the experiment of the publication of NADEZHDA abroad, ie., to open subscriptions to NADEZHDA and to use the subscribers' money to pay for paper (the Moscow Patriarchate maintains that lack of paper prevents them from publishing religious literature) and printing NADEZHDA, which was financed with subscribers' money in the West, found its way into many countries. While in exile I received letters from Australia, Canada, Japan, U.S.A., France, Germany, England, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, etc. Only believers in the USSR do not have a chance to read NADEZHDA. Metropolitan Pitrim received my letter two months ago. He did not answer it. Obviously, he has not only declined my suggestion, but considers me to be unworthy of his reply...</div>
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<b>2. HOPE IN THE OPTINA PRESS</b></div>
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As long as atheism remains the state religion, as long as all the means of mass information are in the hands of an atheistic regime, and as long as the Church remains silent, any essential changes are impossible. They can only amount to some insignificant formal and quantitative modifications. Let's say, a number of open churches, of registered religious communities will increase, a few monasteries will open - the is important, of course. We hope that in time the Kiev-Caves Lavra will also be returned to believers. However, in Christianity it is not so much the form and the quantity that are of importance, as the essence; not the letter, but the spirit. The Optina Pustyn' [Hermitage], the ruins of which have been returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, was the center of spiritual and cultural life in the 19th century. Optina served the world with sanctity: it published books and enlightened the world with the Truth of Christ. Optina offered salvation to that part of the Russian society which sought and found spiritual treasures of the Orthodox faith. Today, for instance, the famous Pskov-Caves Monastery may become a place of temptation not only for the world, but for Orthodox people as well. The unparalleled rudeness and cruelty of Gavriil, the Superior of this monastery, with which he treats both the monks of the monastery and the pilgrims, has become "the talk of the town." The only visitors welcome at the monastery, as far as he is concerned, are representatives of the Council of Religious Affairs. It is not enough to open monasteries and churches. Believers ought to have spiritual treasures of the Orthodox faith returned to them, i.e., not only Optina Monastery, but also its printing press. Only then can one hope that many years later, by the grace of God, the Church will have spiritual leaders similar to those inhabiting the Optina and other monasteries which spiritually enriched Russian society and culture in the course of a thousand-year history of Christianity...</div>
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<b>3. THE SPIRITUAL FREEDOM OF THE CHURCH</b></div>
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Spiritual processes do not depend on civil liberties. Civil freedom is needed by all citizens of our country. According to our faith, the Church is the pillar and ground of Truth. She is 'spiritually' free and lives in accordance with the "laws" of grace, and does not pay tribute to anyone. But her members are only "all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him" (I Kings 19:18). Speaking of the church we like to recall Christ's words that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." These words contain not only a firm promise: "shall not prevail against it," but also an indication that the "gates of hell" will be trying to prevail against it. And those members of the Chruch, of whatever standing they might be: patriarchs, bishops, priests or lay people, will be prevailed against by the "gates of hell" and vanquished by them, if they should bend their knees before the servants of hell. They will only be called the Church, have an appearance of the Church, but will be deprived of her power. The history of Christianity knows many such instances when the high-ranking patriarchs and bishops became heretics and apostates, and the decrees of the Councils and they themselves were anathematized. God invariably disgraces Satan, but He does this in His own time. The essence of the freedom of the Church is understood only through persecutions...</div>
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As long as there are people in concentration camps sentenced for their religious convictions, to speak of the end of persecutions means to distort the truth. Strictly speaking, true Christianity has not known, nor will it know such times in the history of mankind when it is not subject to persecution. This is God's intention with regard to His true disciples, and it is not to be revised. The world has always struggled and will always struggle against Christianity; but the methods and forms of this struggle, though stereotyoed in character, vary from one historical period to another.</div>
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In the 20's and 30's, our land became stained with the blood of martyrs and confessors of Christ. These were the years of triumph of the faith. After centuries of alleged well-being, the Orthodox Church, spiritually exhausted as the result of the awful fratricidal split, had to defend her faith of the Cross. 'You can't vanquish the Church by sending her flock to the Cross', because her belief is in the Resurrection. We are told by the Saints that "the fallen spirit, the spirit of malice and animosity towards God, replaces cruel temptations by weak, though refined and very effective ones". Mankind has entered the 'age of great spiritual persecutions of Christians'. This is a worldwide process, and it is inherent in all the Christian churches of today. This is the fatal warfare between Christianity and the godless consciousness between God and Satan. Atheism brings eternal death to mankind. Christianity brings faith in the Resurrection. Essentially this is precisely the struggle for the survival of mankind. The aim of spiritual persecutions is to enfeeble the Church by way of compromises, to create a "new Christianity," Christianity without Christ, and hence spiritually weak, comfortable and safe. The period of blood-spilling persecutions of the 20's and 30's has now been replaced by the struggle for turning the Orthodox faith in our country into renovationism, ritualism, paganism on Christian grounds, idolatry, sectarianism.</div>
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<b>4. POLITICAL CHRISTIANITY</b></div>
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Perhaps one of the strongest temptations of today is ritualism, because of the "magic" of rites. It suits the militant atheism quite well. First of all because ritualism limits man in his service to God and to his fellow-men; secondly because it is the subject of easy criticism in the atheist propaganda; and thirdly, it lacks spiritual power, since it believes in the rite, in a Patriarch, in bishops and priests, rather than in God. It believes in a form, trying in vain to acquire sanctity through the letter.</div>
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Ritualism forms the basis of another branch of the "neo-Christianity" or renovationism - i.e. 'a political Christianity'. Almost all ruling archbishops of the Russian Orthodox Church are active in state politics, they are political personae, constituting a certain institution which is sanctioned by the state and through which the atheistic regime manages the religious life of believers...</div>
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Some of our Christians and those in the West think that the truth about the politicking of our Church hierarchs may become a temptation. However, in Christianity, truth can never become a temptation. Only a lie may tempt, as the Gospels categorically reveal to us...</div>
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Political Christianity blossomed in our country during the time of Patriarch Sergius (Starogorodsky) and has become known as "Sergianism". It has marked the beginning of the dreadful times prophesied by our Saints when, according to St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, "the increased number of apostates who outwardly call themselves 'Christians' would begin to use violence and slander". That time was marked by terrible division: some bishops occupied their bishops' sees, others - the plank beds in concentration camps. Precisely in those terrible years was created the anti-Christian, anti-Church myth about salvation of the Church by political compromise. I think that the myth has always been popular with the Council of Religious Affairs and amongst our bishops. From that time on the Church sank into silence. Politicized "religious leaders" have enfeebled the Church spiritually by becoming the comrades of persecutors, and they refused to be one with the confessors and martyrs for the sake of an imaginary "salvation" of the Church, repeating after the militant atheists that the canonization of martyrs and confessors was a political act. Persecutors of Christ at all times would call His disciples political criminals, and Christ Himself, as is well known, was accused of "seducing people" and being "an enemy of Caesar" (John 7:6; 19:12). Political interpretation of the persecution of Christians is as old as the world. The devil is monotonous. As to the myth about the "salvation of the Church', it is well known that people are not required to save the Church. Christ alone saves it, by sending fiery temptation and suffering unto death. Ritualism, idolatry, sectarianism is the price for the compromise, and the result of spiritual split with the Orthodox faith.</div>
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<b>5. THE CHURCH IS NOT A PARTY</b></div>
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Being men of politics, the "religious leaders" introduce "party norms" into the life of the Church. They speak of some "balanced" attitude of the Church towards religious freedom (Archbishop Kirill of Smolensk and Vyazma) and consider it possible for themselves as 'the leaders' speaking on behalf of the entire Church, to solve essential problems within their narrow party environment without bringing them out for discussion by the Church Council. 'Everyone' should be 'heard out' within the Church. Everyone who wants to be heard out. Apostle Paul (I Cor. 11:19) teaches: "For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you." The Church is not a party and it lives by different laws; "party discipline" is foreign to her: reprimands for criticism are impossible there, she is not a comfort-seeking society, and the fate of one sinner may be more precious to Christ and to His Church than the fates of 99 righteous men. The state authorities gladly offer a platform to those who they declare to be "religious leaders": the latter, unfortunately disregarding the Gospel ideals of democracy, rebuff the "disobedient ones" as "spiritually lost", while thinking themselves to be infallible. When defending themselves they do not shrink from informing on their brothers in faith. Thus, in the Communique of the pre-Council conference (March-April '88), while accusing the Christians who wrote to the archbishops expressing their opinions of the Church life, they accused them of pride, nihilism, of spiritual heresies, as well as of their intentions to make the Church confront (!) the State. How could our smooth-spoken peace lovers include this political denunciation in the Communique?! Alas, all this demonstrates the hopelessly obsolete political thinking which may please only the opponents of moral rebirth in our country...</div>
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The Gospels command us to speak the truth to one another and to disclose the fruitless deeds of darkness. Disclosure of lawlessness and condemnation are different things. The judgement, however, does not belong to us.+</div>
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-Excerpted from the interview of Zoya Krakhmalnikova given to the journal 'GLASNOST': APRIL 1988.</div>
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Translated by "ORTHODOX ACTION" in Australia.</div>
Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000679422093371576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264534915299042982.post-55823168215138270102008-05-03T14:45:00.000-07:002013-01-12T20:58:35.446-08:00List Of Zoya Krakhmalnikova's Works In English1. Bitter Fruits of a Sweet Captivity. Australia: St. Xenia Press 1989<br />
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2. "Christian Reading - Nadezhda: Hope for the World" (Parts II and III by Zoya Krakhmalnikova), in The Orthodox Word, Nos. 142-143, pp. 278-306<br />
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3. "You Can't vanquish the Church by Crucifying Her Flock" (the complete interview), in Orthodox Australia, No. 53, pp. 15-21<br />
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4. "Round Table in Moscow" and "A Labor of Love" (interviews with Zoya Krakhmalnikova and others), in Orthodox America, Nos. 84-85, pp. 6-11<br />
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<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000679422093371576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264534915299042982.post-8223047664241320012008-05-02T20:30:00.000-07:002013-01-12T20:59:56.614-08:00about Zoya<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6e2a47; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.prison.org/personal/krahmalnikova.shtml</span></div>
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<b>Hero of spiritual resistance</b></div>
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<i>By Vladimir Ilyushenko</i> <i><br />
Created 01/13/2009 - 23:58</i></div>
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<b>Zoya Krahmalnikova</b> died April 17, 2008.</div>
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Zoe Krahmalnikova born January 14, 1929 in Kharkov (Ukraine). Her parents divorced early, and she was brought up by her stepfather. But in 1936, at the height of Stalin's purges, he was arrested, and Zoe stayed with her mother. After graduating in 1954 from the Literary Institute in Moscow, the Institute of World Literature of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, she worked in the publishing houses: in the "Soviet writer," in the "Young Guard," and in the "Literary Gazette".</div>
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In 1960 - 1970's of Zoe Krahmalnikova's published as a critic in the leading literary magazines - "New World", "Standard", "The Young Guard", and the "Literary Gazette" - the organ of the Union of Soviet Writers. In 1967 she defended her thesis. Was the Institute of World Literature, senior researcher at the Institute of Sociology, later - the Institute of Philosophy.</div>
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But this is all external milestones of her biography, her inner life was developed by completely different laws. In the early 70's Zoe came to the Faith [from Judiasm]. In 1971, she was baptized Orthodox. In 1974, when this was learned, she was fired from her job and was not allowed to publish in the Soviet Union.</div>
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In 1976, Zoe Krahmalnikova began publishing a samizdat [underground] magazine "Hope" with the subtitle - "Christian reading." Russia was in a pre-revolutionary church magazine - "Christian reading", and that this new edition continued the old tradition. It was a historical and educational and spiritual and educational collection, at first - typed, and then he was reprinted abroad, in Frankfurt, in the emigre publishing house "seeding". Issues of "Hope" were in a small-format book yellow, but each of them had more than 300-400 pages. In secret ways they were then brought in the USSR.</div>
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Generally religious "samizdat" pulications at that time were much more rare than the "samizdat" that was civic, social or political. But here in the parish of. Alexander I, in which I was, in the 70's - 80's religious "self-publishing" and "tamizdat" (ie books published abroad) were very common, but only secret publishing - it is not advertised, so not to be found by the authorities.</div>
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On the back of the title "Hope" was printed an announcement:</div>
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<span style="color: #693347;"><i> </i></span><span style="font: 13.0px Times New Roman;"><i>Hope</i></span> <i>collects little known in Russia works of the Holy Fathers, the spiritual teachings of </i><span style="color: #693347;"><i>O</i></span><i>rthodox pastors, evidence of life in Christ, the stories appeal to faith, tells about the fate of the Russian saints, ascetics, saints, martyrs, develops some problems of modern Christian culture in Russia, and publishes poetry, short stories, memoirs, etc. </i><span style="font: 13.0px Times New Roman;"><i>Hope</i></span><i> - the only and unique Christian Reading that exists in Russia today. </i><span style="font: 13.0px Times New Roman;"><i>Hope</i></span><i> can only be a missionary edition, carries on the donations of the faithful. Edition </i><span style="font: 13.0px Times New Roman;"><i>Hope</i></span><i> who would it is not taken, can not pursue any commercial purposes or political. Readers of </i><span style="font: 13.0px Times New Roman;"><i>Hope</i></span><i> asking Christians around the world to support the publication and distribution of Christian reading, preaching the word of God to those who are looking and waiting for him.</i></div>
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<i>Compiled by Zoe Krahmalnikova. </i></div>
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She did not consider it possible to hide under a pseudonym, even though this book was calling the regime "atheist".</div>
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In addition to the works of the Fathers of the Church, there were messages and teachings of Russian new martyrs (including letters referring to priests and laity), the magazine published and modern works on Orthodox theology, sermons by Dmitry Dudko, then - a dissident church (it was he who baptized Zoe), as well as articles on the most Zoe Orthodox culture and its stories.</div>
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August 4, 1982, after the tenth issue of "Hope", Zoe Krahmalnikova was arrested. She was accused of the compilation and transfer to the West of religious articles, writing or signing letters in support of dissident Tatyana Velikanova and Dmitry Dudko Dudko distribution of the book "On our hope."</div>
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<span style="color: #693347;">Zoe Krahmalnikova pleaded not guilty. In her final statement to the court, she said: </span>"The emergence of <span style="font: 13.0px Times New Roman;"><i>Hope</i></span> was not my merit, not my fault, I just tried to restore what had been dangling sixty years ago. God would have it, Christian reading resumed here in the Russian land that has been baptized a thousand years ago, and if I do not, then the job would be fulfilled by someone else. <span style="font: 13.0px Times New Roman;"><i>Hope</i></span> was made for the faithful, for all who seek the Word of God, and therefore the publication of these books in one way or another publishing house abroad, there is no crime ... Rejoice, and do not worry, because in all the will of God ... Thank God for everything."</div>
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April 1, 1983 the Moscow City Court sentenced for political Zoe Krahmalnikovu Article 70 of the Criminal Code to one year in jail and five years of exile. She is credited with "anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda to undermine Soviet power." With the deadline imposed in prison during the investigation, it almost immediately went into exile in the Gorno-Altai region, in the village of Ust-Kan. She wrote out in his letter: <span style="color: maroon;">"Compromise deprived of spiritual power. Instead, he promises to security and prosperity, promising comfort and happiness, relative, of course, luck and there, and there. And in the world, and in Christianity."</span> In her opinion, <span style="color: maroon;">"compromise with evil strengthens evil."</span></div>
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Zoe was not one of those who enter into such compromises. Power is understood and reacted differently. Conditions were harsh in the prison: poor diet, lack of medical care, and there was a constant surveillance. However Zoe's husband, writer Felix Lights, had the opportunity to come to her, and had lived in Ust Cana. And his return to Moscow. But once she gets home from the hospital a letter from her daughter (also named Zoe): "Mommy, look how God loves us - today arrested the father and today was born Timothy <span style="font: 11.0px Verdana;">(second grandson Krahmalnikovoy. - VI)</span>.</div>
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Felix Lights, the author of several novels demonstrating faith in Christ, in Soviet Russia, was also convicted of a political Article. He was sentenced to exile for "humanitarian reasons", as stated in the verdict. <span style="color: maroon;">"However,"</span> - later wrote Zoe - <span style="color: maroon;">"his elderly sick man dragged through seven transit prison, deliberately drove in the opposite direction to torture in phases, and then brought in handcuffs at the last prison and kept there in the interrogation chamber to wrest from him renunciation."</span> Renunciation followed. A month after the trial, punitive bodies burned archive Svetova, letters to his dead mother and his dead wife, letters to him other writers, books, manuscripts and drafts.</div>
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It was a sophisticated place not only him but Zoe Krahmalnikovoy. Posted in prison, Felix was reunited with his wife in another village of Gorno-Altai region - Ust-Cox (later in Moscow, they separated.)</div>
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<span style="color: #693347;">In March 1987, Zoe and her husband were offered a chance to petition for clemency. They refused. Then she wrote about it: </span>"We could go free, to return home to our children and grandchildren. We were offered in exchange for the freedom to give the assurance that we will not break the law. So, implicitly acknowledge that we violated , confessing his faith, and, therefore, recognize the rights of those who were "enforce the law", and trample it, trampling and killing himself and his conscience ... We would like to forget about trading, which does not want to participate. We gave it up, not because they could not forgive the atrocities against us harmless under the law. Not because they could not forgive the absurdity of evil and lies. We knew that without God, no one could do us harm. Therefore, recalling the tears of children, arrests, searches, the inhumanity of satanic deception and satanic drivel disguised agony, we tried to take them as the will of God."</div>
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As a result, they were kept in exile until July 1987, when the restructuring occurred and all political prisoners were pardoned. And in July, he said: "You can go where you want." Practically all his life by the time they departed.</div>
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Since the late 1980s, Zoe Krahmalnikova printed in various periodicals articles on the current state of the Russian Orthodox Church. The cycle of her work, "The bitter fruits of sweet captivity" was published in 1988-1990. in the U.S., Canada and Australia. It was of the firm opinion about the necessity of repentance hierarchs of the Church to the people for their cooperation with the atheist regime. This collaboration represented by Metropolitan Sergius Stragorodsky, appeared at the head of the Russian Orthodox Church after the death in 1926 of Patriarch Tikhon, later canonized as a saint.</div>
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Policy of Metropolitan Sergius, oriented believers to compromise with evil godless Bolshevism's sake, though, salvation of the Church, Zoe characterized as: "Sergianism, declared himself the savior of the Church, the people of the nation and for them came into impermissible for the Church of Christian compromise with the persecutors of the Church, the nation and people encroached on the divine order of being. " She wrote: "Met. Sergius and his followers were always and still is debate about which: who has the most, he is right." We are with our people and our government, "- said Sergianists." We were with the people, "- repeat their followers today, justifying their subservience in the atheist regime and intelligence work in the punitive organs. "</div>
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The main topic of the articles and books Krahmalnikovoy was the problem of the religious revival in Russia. She believed that the main obstacle to such a revival is lzhepravoslavie, betrayal many hierarchs of the Russian Church of Christ, His commandments. Many times she warned about the threat of Russian fascism, pagan in nature, using Orthodoxy as a mask.</div>
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Zoe Krahmalnikova was unusually active man - both religious and civic activity. In November 1992, she attended the First Congress of Russian intelligentsia, the idea of convening which belonged to her. She succeeded, at least partially, to give some of the meetings of the Congress Christian sound. In 1993, in the "Neva" was published her novel "Crazy Old Man", written ten years before. And even earlier, in 1982, during a search of arrest took another first chapter of her novel - "Escape." Both of the novel - a meditation on the fate of Christianity.</div>
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In 1994 Krahmalnikova was the originator and co-author of the book "Russian idea, and Jews. Fatal dispute" with the subtitle: "Christianity, anti-nationalism." In the preface to the book, she wrote: "The book is intended as an alternative to the Christian threat of Russian fascism, which can take the form has not been eliminated Russian totalitarianism, this time equipped with an aggressive nationalist idea. No accident that this new type of fascism, attempts to create a religious ideology. Component of its becoming. "Nazism is patriotic" anti-Semitism and lzhepravoslavie ...</div>
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Anti-Semitism that led to the Holocaust, did not originate in Nazi Germany, it was the result of moral decline of humanity and the spiritual impoverishment of Christian churches and each of the Christians who dared to protest against the Nazi atrocities. "The Aryan idea," and "Russian idea" is, of course, have their own specifics, but when people get sick, changing spiritual and moral laws, it all begins to mature before Nazism and Bolshevism as a form of fascism. Auschwitz and the Gulag - two disasters, bound up in a tragic site. But the Gulag and Auschwitz - not history: the threat of the revival of the Nazi and Bolshevik ideas, firmly bound by a common hatred of God and man, still hovers over the world. "</div>
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Zoe saw a direct link between totalitarianism, anti-Semitism and anti-Christianity: "As a contemporary of these two genocides - Auschwitz and the Gulag, - we can not see in this mass killing of innocent people trying to crucify Christ again. Murderer not only to crucify their victims Christ, he crucifies him in himself. To plan matured in humanity killing God, you lose Christ, replace it. This is the secret of the mystic sin against flesh and blood of the Son of man, who gave his life for the world their own flesh and blood, woven, believe as the Church, in the womb of the Holy Mother of Jesus, the Jewish Virgin Mary. deicide This secret sin, and if he finds refuge in the church, among the clergy and lay Christians, he is ruining not only their souls, but a betrayal of poisoning the water and air, the earth's interior and sky. Then begins a predicted in the Apocalypse of St. John. starts falling Church. And the Church, as St.. Gregory of Nyssa, is the dispensation of the universe. "</div>
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The book was a long article Krahmalnikovoy Zoe, which was called like this: "Why did God kill again? He'll rise again" and subtitled "Notes on the collapse of the" Third Rome. "Here are a few excerpts from the article.</div>
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"History is going to the end of the world, bloody chain apocalyptic harvest, successive, after a little rest. Term harvest unknown to anyone but God.</div>
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Apocalypse is hidden in history until then reality. In order to prepare for it, each of us are the signs by which we are called to recognize that "the time is at hand," The closer to the end of life, and the closer the "end of the world," the more clearly comes through in the face of the Revelation of St. Hope. John, in the most severe prophecy bears the name of the Apocalypse, the prophecy of ultimate fate of mankind. "Revelation" is not accidental completing the New Testament. This is - the sound of the last trumpet, promising eternal kingdom to those who believe in him and give yourself up to being in it. This - the last call of God. Death to Russia, it seems to be impossible, although in the twentieth century Russia was the life of the murder. Death of Russia is impossible, not only because she loved us. The people who live here and those who have left it and endeavor to save her from a distance. Death to Russia, is impossible because the people that live on it, stopped halfway, failing to fulfill its purpose. Being the youngest of the Christian peoples of the world, they were intended to update the spirit of love and loyalty to God weary humanity. No, not crazy, I'm gordostnoy Dream speech about a dream elder Philothea the "Third Rome." "Two Romes have fallen, the third stands, and the fourth is not to be," - wrote Pskov monk Filofei Vasily III in the beginning of XVI century. This formula Russian messianism "caught on" to the Orthodox Church, not having it is no reason, for the Messiah-Christ has come to expect and another is a betrayal of him ...</div>
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Path of humanity to decay and death consists of "small apocalypse", they tested people, as faith was tested three youths in the fiery furnace of Babylon (Daniel 3:6). The fire in the stove, as we know, was a ruthless, but repentance, faith and humility before God's will proved stronger than the fire. Without repentance sky turns to iron, and copper in the ground. Melt them can only fire.</div>
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Repentance is a change, and therefore the action. Changing himself, he changes the world. Purging itself of contamination, it cleanses the world. "</div>
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Zoe Krahmalnikovoy always been peculiar to the apocalyptic mood, and here it appeared in full. Then she wrote: "The twentieth century, and still staying in the shade Lyutsiferova wing, the century of divine retribution people who had revolted against their Creator.</div>
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Hope that "Moscow - the Third Rome, and the fourth is not to be", which became the foundation of the nationalist ideology (it was repeated and repeated to this day as a spell, able to perform a miracle: to recreate in Russia at the same time the power of Rome and Byzantium!), Expressed seduction, which was struck by the spirit church and polutserkovnoy elite. Psevdoproroki, intoxicated by the power of Holy Russia, which was not holy gordostnym spirit, humble and humble service to God, like a rebellious pagan spirit of excellence to impart orthodoxy. Losses were enormous. Instead of the power of the "third Rome" prevailed power demons ... "</div>
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Krahmalnikovu very concerned about the virus of nationalism, which eventually increasingly taking root in the Russian Orthodox Church. She wrote: "At the end of last and the beginning of our (ie HH-go. - VI) century, many religious thinkers have noted the loss of catholicity, the universality of the Russian Church. Its merger with the nation-state creates a kind of dangerous leaks, fading spirit Prophecy and the spirit of freedom. And with the knowledge of their national superiority returns spirit of paganism. invades the Church gradually, seemingly invisible way, giving an effect of national pride. implanted into the Church, nationalism enslaves it makes dependent on the aspirations of the nation for self-assertion. he gradually acquires the characteristics of a kind of "earth religion" with the worship of worldly idols. With the fading of the true spirit of the two religious doctrine of church: the Christian and national, mixing and trying to "get along", a kind of implicit "obuzhivayut" Church. They exclude from the fullness of the Gospel spirit of comprehensive , open to everyone, regardless of their national existence, thus violating the Savior's commandment: go and make disciples in the nations with an e. "</div>
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Pagan, the nationalist essence psevdohristianstva was subjected to ruthless analysis of this article: "Psevdohristianstvo raises and cultivates n o n m e n s. Replaced Spiritual mental, emotional, or, as St.. Fathers, passionate," blood. "In this case, the sense of , judgment, opinion accepted the faith. simplest and most common is the substitution of faith in the nation, a people, as a God-given reality, to minister to them. And we see today, as in the moral chaos of the Communist empire disintegrated rapidly rise to new "religion." They are, no doubt, are modeled on the type of religious movements, where God is the nation, the people who take over "signs" of religious nature.</div>
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This is a "surrogate" of religions that emerged in a totalitarian state, cruelly suppressing individual liberty, freedom of conscience, religion and national life ...</div>
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However, the national existence as the creative force can be formed only in the service not of the nation, but to God, not because the life of the nation is as though in a lower order of being compared to a mystical, hidden life of religion. And because God is the origin of life, the Creator of the nation and each of them has his providence. "</div>
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In "The Russian Idea and the Jews" was to "Profile". He gathered from the responses of writers, journalists, sociologists, theologians on issues arising in connection with the development of the national idea in Russia in the late twentieth century. Among the questions was the following: "Is it possible, in your opinion, the victory of Nazism in his new, Russian version What can prevent this threat?" As I was researching national radicalism in post-Soviet Russia, Zoe invited me to participate in this section, so that there is and my answers.</div>
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Very soon after we met, at her suggestion, we switched to "you." She saw that our understanding of Christianity is largely the same. In many, but not all. We became friends. Quite often, we argue, but it is never violated our friendship. She was a passionate and enthusiastic person. At the presentation of one of her books, I called it "our people with drive." Yes, she was passionate, but always sincere, very sincere. Hated all unrighteousness. She said that "half-truth is a reproach and poluhristianstvo - desecration of Christianity."</div>
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Many in Russia today - almost a majority - are a cross (often laying it out). But how many are Christians? Christian - who is not only cross, but Christ in his heart. That such a man was Zoe Krahmalnikova.</div>
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In 1995 he published the book "Listen, a prison!" She gave it to me, listing all members of my family, with the inscription: "In memory of the author of the prayer." The book includes: "Lefortovo recording" (Zoe sat in Lefortovo), "Letters of reference" which ends July 1987, and the essay "I'm building a monastery." In prison and exile Zoe to rethink their Christian experience. There she experienced particularly acutely, that before it was tormenting: what is our Christianity? what is expressed in our faith in Christ? She wrote:</div>
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"We - Christians - do not know how to live in this world as a Christian.</div>
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We select from the Old Testament that we can easily perform, and, at best, m e t h e m and the performance of the New Testament. We can not live in this world, so our meeting in this world are empty, we have nothing to give to each other, except for the optional words. And when we are thrown into the furnace of Babylon, we are burned.</div>
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Oh, how terrible this fruitless path of the imaginary land of Christianity, which shakes every second from a free crucifixion of God!</div>
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How terrible this way leading to the moment when we realize that we have lost with the fear when we realize, s and h t o we gave her pleasure. And how necessary and desirable for us to be the lost opportunity to be persecuted for the cross of Christ! But later it will be too late ... "</div>
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These cries involuntarily lead to severe memory line Simone Weil, are not inclined to forgive anyone was the betrayal of Christ.</div>
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"Where there is no persecution of the faith - wrote Krahmalnikova - there is no faith. Means that salt has lost its power, then, the Church, opened their gates to the world, lost its spiritual power. This may be inherent to the democratic and totalitarian regimes. Miroderzhets, paradoxically, does not want the persecution of the Church, for the Church is growing only in the persecution. therefore most desirable for him - a compromise with the Church, he knows what kind of compromise with the world God strikes spiritual weakness.</div>
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But the Church, which the Lord in stone confession, ineradicable. It exists not only beyond history, it exists and it is geography. She is beyond denominational divisions, our partitions are said Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow division of Catholics and Orthodox, do not reach for the sky.</div>
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The martyrs of the twentieth century, no matter which of the Christian churches they belong to, are the seed of the Unified Catholic and Apostolic Church. Christian persecution in any point of the universe is evidence of the truth of the Church, the evidence of its power.</div>
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The church is characterized not by the number, it is - a small flock, not the language of the liturgy is, it is the body of the Lord. "</div>
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Simone Weil was against turning religion into an ideology that a person chooses, based on sound installations. In her opinion, religion is the embodiment of truth. At the same position was Krahmalnikova Zoe: "True Christianity never struggles with any ideology or policy of the world, it is meant to indicate a God who came to save the lost.</div>
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This evidence - victim of love and longing for love. Therefore, Christianity is not fighting with any ideology or culture. But not because it is passive, but because above the world and its institutions. Therein lies its strength.</div>
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That power the world wants to destroy or squander always, regardless of the historical and social forms in which human life takes place.</div>
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Christianity does not fight with the world, the world is struggling with it. "</div>
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Then Zoe clarifies his thought: "Yes, Christianity - not the position, because it is - faith, united with Christ. Yes, Christianity - not a moral code, not dissent, not a set of moral imperatives and not ideology. This - and n and I'll and s n s, life in s e r. This - being of the heart and the mind, the inner being of man in another, invisible world, when the outer man is back in space and time, that is in the visible world. why the Lord says, that his students could be the only one who Zakharov about h e t rid of himself and of his, from what he has in this world. impeached to enter the incomprehensible, the invisible ocean, it placed our little world , grain, grain, which flutters in the right hand of God. "</div>
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In his book, Zoe testified that her days in prison and in exile were given intense search of Christianity. And that was just the beginning: "Sometimes I realize that the end of this search will be. They run to me with my departure from life."</div>
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Something very significant, it is still understood: "The Church is responsible for the created world, and each of us who accept the unshakable kingdom, who calls himself a Christian, is responsible for the life and death of the world, which has accumulated a fire to destroy it" .</div>
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She wrote: "In order to survive the onslaught of lies and violence, evoking horror in my mind and heart, I had to say to God, save me, and I will stay only with you.</div>
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It was a vow. "</div>
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Heavy blow to Zoe Krahmalnikovoy was moral drops her confessor - about. Dmitry Dudko. In the book "Listen, a prison!" she tells about it. Cooling her relationship to him began before her arrest. Here's how she describes it:</div>
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<i>"My spiritual father cheating on me - I know, when I listen to his Sunday sermon about love. I learned this when the witness was foreign to me, Christianity, Orthodox prayer for the spirit.</i></div>
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<i>My spiritual father prayed for the health of Herod (apparently meaning the General Secretary of the CPSU Leonid Brezhnev - VI) on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist's head.</i> <i>He received a distribution list of the Patriarchate, which requires priests to sing "Long life" atheistic government during the feast day.</i> <i>So tell me familiar with the hypocrisy of clerics.</i> <i>They were not surprised, it seemed to me.</i> <i>Not surprised that the prayer for those who mistreat and persecute, the meaning of which is expressed in the words of one of these prayers: "Create from Saul Paul" - was replaced by a solemn and loud "Many Years".</i></div>
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<i>It's almost no surprise of the clergy, but also of the laity.</i> <i>Maybe they've been ill?</i> <i>May, m and p and n and b?</i> <i>So now called compromise with the prince of this world.</i></div>
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<i>But I thank God, this humility was given.</i> <i>What I heard and saw, I was overwhelmed.</i> <i>Silent or say?</i> <i>Break or stay?</i></div>
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<b><i>Tell each other the truth,</i></b><i> the apostle exhorts, knowing lies and love are incompatible.</i> <i>But how to tell the truth?</i></div>
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<i>And I say nothing.</i> <i>Not tolerant, but silent.</i> <i>We all - liars and hypocrites - I explain myself - we're all sick and need to wear each other's burdens.</i> <i>Silent, so that th e s t e die?</i></div>
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<i>It hurts me, but I said nothing.</i></div>
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<i>My confessor deceived me for the last time, when he promised to come to me in the link.</i> <i>Maybe he would not deceive me, if I had told him the truth?</i> <i>But he did not come.</i> <i>Apparently, he was afraid that might lose the ability to read from the pulpit every Sunday preaching about love? "</i></div>
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Bitter these feelings were all the more justified in that the further evolution of Dmitry Dudko was even sadder. In January 1980, he was arrested and placed in Lefortovo - KGB jail. He was accused of anti-Soviet activities (charged with, inter alia, defamation of the Soviet system, allegedly contained in his book "On our hope"). He faces a long time, especially since in the years 1948-1956. he was sitting in the camps for political article. In prison Dudko, as they say, "broke." Five months after his arrest, during the Moscow Olympics, he made a public confession on television, pleaded guilty in the "slanderous anti-Soviet activities", stated that freedom of conscience in the Soviet Union is inviolable, and human rights activists urged to follow suit. It is clear that all of this was written at the dictation of KGB investigators. It was a victory for them, topped the state awards.</div>
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But that was not all. In the government newspaper "The News" published an article Dudko "West seeking sensationalism," in which the author stated that he had never opposed the Soviet regime, the priest struggled with atheism. His parishioners came out of prison, Fr. Dmitry admitted publicly lied, yielding to the will of the authorities, but did it, not wanting to leave their spiritual children, and thus "defended their right to preach."</div>
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In this metamorphosis Dudko not over. In the 90 years he has spoken with the articles in the pages of the "patriotic" (ie, nationalist) press, became a regular contributor, and then the spiritual radical xenophobic newspaper "Tomorrow." In his articles, he demanded political rehabilitation of Stalin, calling him a "veruyushim", "Russian genius," "bogodarovannym leader of Russia," which "in a fatherly care of Russia," "had a modest and bessrebrenichestvom, moral principles." In apology for Stalin Dudko surpassed even many die-hard communists.</div>
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In one of the later books Krahmalnikova Zoe wrote: <i>"Today is my spiritual father is a former political associate of the National Bolsheviks. Went to prison for his sermons, he had to do something from which rejected Christ." Fall down and worship me. "He was released from Lefortovo prison after he, by his own admission, "fell in love with the KGB", just like the hero of Orwell's famous novel "1984," fell in love "big brother." with the priest, smitten with love for security officers, it did not happen in 1984 ... and in 1980. After two years, and put me in the same prison. And there I felt sorry for his former pastor. I did not know that he will bless the KGB and kommunofashistov, but if I had known, it is still probably would have regretted, because that he was the victim of religious dictatorship. victim and her servant. "</i></div>
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In January 1995, Moscow hosted the International Forum "Fascism in totalitarian and post-totalitarian society: ideological foundations, the social base and political activity." He, along with scientists, writers, lawyers, politicians, were also priests and religious scholars. We Zoe Krahmalnikovoy also made presentations. Then she offered to publish a book based on the Forum and came up with a name for it - "Do I need a Hitler Russia?"</div>
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This book was published in 1996, I was her compiler, editor and one of the authors. In the book, an article by Zoe on Russian fascism - "Ugly baby communism." It developed the same idea, which she expressed before. She wrote:</div>
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"" We do not face fascism ", - assured us B.Eltsyn recently, referring to the fact that in a country that defeated Hitler, fascism is not possible. Yeah, German or Italian fascism in Russia is impossible, there may be only a national- patriotic Fascism or National Bolshevism. Both are different "decay products" of Soviet communism. to crash at the beginning of Gorbachev's perestroika, communism, as well as its post-perestroika "options", was ideologically disarmed: publicity made on the surface of misery, falsehood and anti-human essence "progressive ideology." And then out of the blue came in handy then psevdopravoslavie, which was created under pressure from Stalin and his successors. Thus, a new ideology, which has been able to meet the needs of different parties, "Cathedral" and "fronts" irreconcilable opposition.</div>
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The core of this ideology were psevdopravoslavie as tribal religion of the Russian people, that is the so-called "orthodox Nazism" and the vulgar, violent anti-Christian paganism. Were found and samples for the Fuhrer. Among the samples was Hitler. There are also contenders. And the enemy was discovered. This, of course, a Jew and a Democrat, that, according to the haters of the democratic development of Russia, almost one and the same. The presence of the enemy, of course, exempt from repentance. "The Russian people have nothing to repent," - declared in one of the rooms of the church newspaper "Rus Reigning".</div>
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Spiritually, fascism - it is a religion of Satan, devilry. Christ in the Gospel, not only calls Satan "the father of lies," and "murderer" (John 8, 44). "The article further examines the ideology of Russian" Orthodox pagan Nazism, "as he called Zoe Krahmalnikova, traced his relationship with Stalinism and with lzhepravoslaviem.</div>
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Why we can not get rid of the totalitarian infection? Krahmalnikova says: <i>"We had a Stalin, but there was no Nuremberg, we had a parody of Nuremberg."</i> <i>And further: "Russia - mnogovernaya and multi-ethnic country. Why is not the voice of pastors, calling the people of Russia to repentance and atonement for her spiritual restoration? This silence indicates deep spiritual sickness that those who bear the burden of pastoral ministry, still do not believe in the liberation of Russia from the terrible yoke of the godless and cruel power. "</i></div>
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In 1999, Zoe Krahmalnikova won the Sakharov Prize "for civic courage of the writer."</div>
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She was a friend of our famous bard Bulat Okudzhava. He dedicated it to one of his best songs - "Goodbye to the Christmas tree."</div>
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Zoe's last book was published in 2000. It's called "Monologue of Love", there is generalized and vnetyuremny her prison experience, tells about her trip to Israel, to remain in the monastery of Gethsemane. By the way, once Zoe gave me a letter to the abbess of the monastery (it belonged then to the Russian Orthodox Church. Thanks to my wife and I have shown that the tourists do not show: the steps by which the Lord came to Jerusalem in the Palm Sunday, descending from the Mount of Olives , millennial olive trees, from which he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.</div>
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What Zoya's "Monologues of Love"? She says, "the love of God." Christ calls it "the first dissenter crucified liars and hypocrites for their dissent." "... The whole feat of Christ - she writes - helping to bring his disciples took dissent as world view." - He continues: "Dissent - a rebellion of conscience against the devil as the" father of lies ", revolt against this" life model ", which he imposes humanity." Father of lies "creates its own literature, its culture, its ethics and morality. And all this has no relation to the truth. created by Satan in the world of ideas is not a grain of truth about the world and about the special relationship between man and God ...</div>
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I note here that dissent - is not only a revolt of conscience and peace of conscience is, acquires special fidelity to Christ himself, his friends, is compassion and mercy for the fallen, it is a sacrifice that will surely be paid a high price. Grace.</div>
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Wondering whether dissent under the pressure of the punitive state terrorism? No! It is hidden in the "catacombs" of the spirit. I think, and so far these "catacombs" hide holy, righteous, the gold reserves of the nation, have been subjected to total degradation. "</div>
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Zoe Krahmalnikova, a Christian ascetic, the hero of spiritual resistance to evil, and she belonged to that gold reserves. "Christianity - the fire - she wrote. - I learned it in jail." It was scorched this fire. For many, it was awkward person, because he never hesitated to tell the truth, in the most blatant, naked form.</div>
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In 1993, Zoe secretly took the veil. She performed a vow given to God. This little known. It is clear only on the funeral service: in the grave she was in robes.</div>
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"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" - that's about it.</div>
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"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" - that's about it.</div>
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"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" - it is also about her.</div>
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I am happy that my life intersected with the life of Zoe Krahmalnikovoy. She was very beautiful - in his youth, and old age. I keep her image in his heart.</div>
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<i>The article was published in "New Europe" № 4 2008</i></div>
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<i>About the Author: Vladimir Ilyushenko - historian, writer and publicist.</i> <i>The host of "discussion" in the Christian church-channel (radio "Sophia").</i> <i>Member of the Moscow Union of Writers.</i> <i>Author of books: "Father Alexander Men: Life and Death in Christ" (Moscow, 2000), "Slow Music" (Stihi. Moscow, 2002), "National radicalism in Russia. From nationalism to neo-Nazism" (M. , 2007).</i></div>
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