Barbara wrote:A Greek-American journalist has launched a sarcastic attack on elder Ephraim.
Not all this layman says is right. For example, he ridicules Orthodox Priests appearing in American venues in their clerical garb.
We here at E. Café surely applaud the bold refusal of our True Orthodox clergy to appear in street attire to placate secular minded Westerners [ for the same situation likely prevails in Europe and Australia ]. So I am deleting a few parts like this from the author's expose of Fake Elderism, aimed mostly at the Ephraimite phenomenon.
Clearly, the writer, the news correspondent for the National Herald [Ethnikos Kyrix] of New York and Athens, is in the left-wing side of the World Orthodox camp. He sounds anti-monastic and influenced by Protestantism.
We can learn, though, from his pithy observations about elder Ephraim, a prime example of "Orthodox Guruism". It is a good characterization for Ephraim, who seems to be regarded by his disciples with near-worship. This atmosphere is so overwrought with misplaced veneration that one would imagine this missionary had stepped from a lotus flower and spread the teachings of the Buddha from coast to coast to crowds of wild-eyed spiritual seekers.
"Not a month or week goes by without a new prophecy emerging about things that will supposedly happen on a local or even national and international level. This phenomenon, which is widely spread in Greece but also has been transplanted here in the United States though the Ephraimite movement of extreme fundamentalism, can be descripted with three words: elderism, futurism, and prophetism.
It has to do with “prophesies” and “statements” of various monks, who either died in distant past or even recently, or are still alive on Mount Athos and elsewhere. Such is the case of elder Ephraim here in the United States, who has filled the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese through the country with Monasteries.
These “contemporary prophets” prophesize just about anything, you name it. They prophesize about the economic crisis in Greece, for example, although it is already occurring. They prophesize about the political crisis or that the blessed Race of Greeks will reclaim the Queen City of Constantinople. These simplistic charlatans can do harm not only to innocent and uneducated people, but also to nations.
Understandably, the economic crisis in Greece has significantly changed the mindset of many who struggle to survive, and many of them have lost faith. Thus, they search for some ray of hope to hold on to, or some kind of “supernatural” explanation of what is happening in order to justify their fears.
Thus, the prophesies of various elders and monks find their way into the hearts of many hope seekers. They are even willing to engage in extreme fanatical religiosity that absolutizes the elders’ “prophetic futurism.” Once an elder says it, that’s it. No questions asked.
A huge industry of futurism has been created, and in some cases an industry of miracles that urges hundreds if not thousands of faithful to form long lines over the graves of various elders. Many attach their ears to the grave, hoping to hear some sounds from within the grave supposedly coming from the dead elder in question. The books of such elders become bestsellers and, of course, many “smart” religious industrialists become rich in the name of a twisted Orthodoxy.
There is a dangerous trend today of creating a sick “Orthodox guruism” in the name of spirituality and elderism. Many elders today tend to replace even Christ and His Church. We have arrived to the point of a total cultish culture to “worship” people of little or no Theological Education at all, simply because they wear cassocks, and grow long beards and hair. This has become a “spirituality of the hair.” They speak and preach on a simplistic Sunday School level, yet appear to their followers to speak with authority and infallibility.
They use the sacrament of holy confession just to get control over the lives of their followers, demanding from them total and blind obedience....
The elder makes all of their decisions. He has complete control over their lives because “he knows best” regarding their spiritual well-being. The spiritual children don’t really care about the teaching of the Church or the writings of the New Testament. They only care about what the elder thinks and says. They don’t read the Bible, but instead they read the elder’s fairy tells.
[ Did the author mean fairy tales ? If he really meant to say "tells", that is a tip that he views the current crop of World Orthodox fake elders as psychologically DISORDERED. In that world, this jargon connotes a giveaway clue that the speaker has a serious personality disorder, such as sociopathy or borderline. That by itself would be a major indictment of the elders' sanity ! And also would indicate that they should be isolated from the followers upon whom they prey. ]
These uneducated smallminded fundamentalists have become the drama and the trauma of our Orthodox Church, and no one seems to have the boldness to confront them and teach them that Orthodoxy is not a fundamental ideology of some sadistic God who is ready to punish the people. The God of the Orthodox Church is the source of love. It is Christ who comes as “fierce lover,” as Bridegroom in the middle of the night because He loves us all as we are.[--?? - Author must be quite liberal. True Elders, such as the Optina ones, always spoke of development of the fear of God and hard work and vigilance to eradicate sin. They NEVER said to even one follower "Just stay how you are, you are perfect. For sure you are going to Heaven. Don't bother to lift a finger to fight the Devil or become free of the passions. You will be saved no matter what. " ]
In our case here in America, we are confronted with similar sickening fundamentalist mentalities. Many of our clergy have been influenced by the simplistic teachings and pseudo-pietism of the certain monastics to the point that many parishes have been poisoned. It seems that “a parallel Church” has been created along with... [ World Orthodoxy ]...."
By Theodore Kalmoukos
Date Published: 01/31/2017
Publication: The National Herald
http://www.pokrov.org/elderism-futurism-prophetism/
Mr Kalmoukos wrote [ which I italicized ]" They speak and preach on a simplistic Sunday School level, yet appear to their followers to speak with authority and infallibility."
This remark confirms what I wrote in the first post about elder Ephraim's seeming lack of any deep ideas or keen insights in his talk to the assembled Pennsylvania group. He said nothing revelatory in the - tedious - minutes I spent listening to him expound on the theme of spiritual warfare. One would hope for so much more from a teacher who routinely receives fawning accolades in articles on authoritative World Orthodox websites such as Pravoslavie.ru.