The good, the bad, and the ugly, or for whom the bell tolls

[joasia]

Christ is Risen!

Question to the debaters: What is the goal of your posts? Basically, what are you trying to achieve?

Joanna

[Kybihetz21]

The purpose of my original post was to show others (via a “world Orthodoxy” site) how dangerous and detrimental to our struggle are divisions and personal attacks. Sadly, some people seem to be consciously working for the powers of the prince of this world, and rejoice in offending, attacking, fighting, and persecuting those that we should consider our brethren in Christ – they also suffer, not only at the hands of those that persecute us (the new calendarists and the heretics of the western world, along with Muslims and others), but are also persecuted by those that are supposed to have love for them: us.

The main reason of both the secularist and Masonic revolution that took place in Imperial Russia, and the Satanic Socialist/Communist revolt that followed it, was to destroy the Orthodox Church. That is a fact. Like the Most Blessed Metropolitan Vitalii once said, at first they all thought it was a social, political event, but then, when persecutions unheard of even during the Roman rule (early Christians) and the destruction of the temples of God started to take place, then it was clearly understood that the satanic forces were the sole instigators of what was taking place. The bestial murdering of the Orthodox clergy and faithful, and especially, the Judean-Masonic ritual slaughter of the Godly anointed Orthodox Emperor and his family and servants, opened the gates of hell on Holy Russia. The death of the Emperor, who served as “the one that retained” (katexon), served the purpose of the evil one in its mission of destroying the Church of Christ. All the divisions and schisms of the 20th and 21st century are derivative of this. It is unmistakably understood that if the Russian Empire would have not fallen, none of the past and current heresies and schisms would have taken place. Thanks to the opportunistic revolutions of 1917, the Greeks were not able to completely conquer Constantinople, stopped by the heretical western forces; numerous synods and councils were called to spread the venom of Ecumenism, the “heresy of heresies”; rapprochement and concelebrations with heretics became the order of the day; uncountable divisions started to plague the Church; the destruction of the Russian Church Abroad was accomplished by the evil one and its followers; and many, many other events, have taken place thanks to the lack of an Orthodox monarch that would defend the Church against the prince of this world.

The sounds of the trumpets are loud and clear (He that hath ears to hear, let him hear) and the coming of our Savior is eminent and foreseeable. We just have to look around, listen, pay attention to what is happening in the world, to realize that this is a fact. Our numerous sins have precipitated this; only honest and contrite prayers and tears could delay the inevitable. But we continue sinning: it is pleasing to the devil, and it is pleasing to our wretched souls. The forces of evil have taken away from us that which is dear and holy: the Church. Most true Orthodox Christians travel for hours now just in order to meet with others that believe the same way they do. Sadly, some of the ones that still enjoy the gladness of the mysteries of the Church, and the fellowship of other Orthodox Christians, let discrepancies rule their lives, further nurturing more divisions and friction among those that struggle against the dark forces. Let us bow and ask forgiveness, embrace one another, sit, and talk, try to work out our differences and the trivialities that divide us, and let us be one in our efforts to protect the Church and save our souls. Fights and rancor would not accomplish any of this, the Love of Christ will. May God have mercy on our souls, and on our enemies and friends.

[Catherine5]

With so much happening at once, this excellent comment of Kybihetz may be overlooked in the chaos.
Though not sure about the Greeks being anywhere near their old vendetta dream of retaking Istanbul, which to this day they pointedly call "Constantinople", the rest is very insightful.
I agree about lack of real monarchs.
If one looks back, many Orthodox Hierarchs of older days insisted on the system of Monarchy; and as is well known, the influential St John of Kronstadt defended it forcefully.

I wonder if maybe the forces of evil infiltrated the Russian Hierarchy in the 19th century so as to install prelates who would not say a word when stirrings of revolution caught fire. It was too late by the time it turned into a conflagration.
A major fighter against Bolshevism was the later New Martyr, Met Vladimir of Kiev.
But strangely one reads little about hierarchs or clergy trying to restrain or counter the revolutionaries with Orthodox teachings.
If this assessment is accurate, I am always mystified WHY?
Were they complacent, secretly liberal, or somewhat plants by - who? secular /Masonic forces ?
This time in history has not been fully explored, I expect.
The ROCOR historical writer Michael Woerl, in one of his Hierarchs' Biography Series over on rocorstudies.org, gives a figure that a full one third of the Russian Church hierarchy was supporting I think the February Revolution. That is an appallingly high number.

Looking at this bleak historical example, the TOC Hierarchs of today MUST realize that they have to hammer out compromises so as to fight on the same side of the battle. Otherwise the entire system can be swept away.
If there are Masons hiding out in their ranks, they must be weeded out - yesterday !
No catering to anybody suspicious even if they are a cardinal donor to one's Synod or local parish.
Then the various TOC hierarchs have to work out a system which allows perhaps each of them to rotate positions as the nominal head of a united group of TOC jurisdictions. That's the only way that would work. Otherwise all will hold onto their own position and carp away at whomever is elected a head, if that could even be achieved.
For many have opined that it's the TOC Hierarchs much more than the flocks who are blocking healthy unification efforts. Apparently these Hierarchs are deathly afraid of loss of personal perks and power. If they aren't, then why haven't there been sincere efforts on all sides to amalgamate the TOC groups into a stable bloc?
I feel that a number of TOCs unwittingly give an image of being unstable, meandering, a little unclear as to their goals as long as they are under the direction of Hierarchs not seeing the dangers ahead and uniting now.