The Great Sadness

[Cyprian]

Greetings Jonathan,

I humbly ask your forgiveness for all that I have said or done that caused you offense. I understand that you are angry with me, because I have made it clear that I have no confidence in the ability of your bishop to rightly divide the word of truth, but what would you have me do? Your bishop and synod are scandalizing the Church, and shall I just pretend that it is something altogether different and keep silent?

I have always clearly stated my confession of the Faith, and have never wavered. If anyone should find fault with my confession, by all means, I am ready and willing to discuss it. I am sorry, but your recent suggestion (on another thread) that now I can join Met. Moses in Portland since he has left the HOCNA, and is a member of the HOTCA, is unacceptable to me. Please understand that Met. Moses was the one who made me a catechumen during my brief sojourn with HOCNA, and that I fled him and the HOCNA because of their heresies and schism. Now, your synod has accepted Met. Moses into your communion, and as far as I have been able to tell, with no public renunciations of his heresies. This does not surprise me, since I have been saying for months/years now that I believe your bishops in America have the exact same mindset as HOCNA, and truly do belong together.

Should anyone be prepared to set aside all this unpleasant gossip about what is taking place over in the TOC of Serbia, and wants to discuss the errors of HOCNA and HOTCA, and the old-calendar ecumenism which has been gaining strength, and pretends that there is no real differences in doctrine between the assorted TOC's, I am certainly willing.

God has a plan for my salvation, Jonathan, and I will act according to His timetable, and not yours, or anyone else's. My hour is not yet come.

May God preserve and protect you always,

Cyprian

[Tryphon]

Greetings in Christ our True GOD.

Brother Cyprian,

I have not heard of ( or read ) that a public confession has been given. At the same time though reading the decision by Met Moses to bring the diocese of Portland under the GOC, it states that He had earlier invoked canon 15 of the first-second council and had walled-off from the heretical confession of His Synods president. Does His walling off enable the Metropolitan to state that in fact He was against this heresy and that the public confession and repentance are not necessary? Again br Cyprian You have first hand knowledge since You know Metropolitan Moses and most likely follow the happenings in your area . As for The situation in Serbia it is going to explode like an atomic bomb across many jurisdictions and the implications of many people will be brought to light. Truly the gold will be tested by the furnace fire. I pray that your assertions regarding the GOC-America prove to be a mistake for the sake of many. Keep up the good battle for the Truth without
Compromise. In true Orthodoxy the end does not justify the means,never ever!

[Suaidan]

Should anyone be prepared to set aside all this unpleasant gossip about what is taking place over in the TOC of Serbia, and wants to discuss the errors of HOCNA and HOTCA, and the old-calendar ecumenism which has been gaining strength, and pretends that there is no real differences in doctrine between the assorted TOC's, I am certainly willing.

God has a plan for my salvation, Jonathan, and I will act according to His timetable, and not yours, or anyone else's. My hour is not yet come.

May God preserve and protect you always,

Cyprian

I'd be glad to discuss the question of "old-calendar ecumenism". But I find quoting Christ in first-person a repugnant habit. You have a responsibility to be baptized in the Church, because Our Lord makes clear: "Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." If you claim that you do not know where the Church is, then you should not judge others of heresy with such certainty.

[stephendaniel]

Should anyone be prepared to set aside all this unpleasant gossip about what is taking place over in the TOC of Serbia, and wants to discuss the errors of HOCNA and HOTCA, and the old-calendar ecumenism which has been gaining strength, and pretends that there is no real differences in doctrine between the assorted TOC's, I am certainly willing.
Cyprian

Please do so. What are the differences in doctrine between the assorted TOC's? Which ones would you call out as obviously "not true Orthodox"? Even if they claim to be.

This is a sincere request. If you know something about a "TOC" that isn't, please share for the sake of those who are trying to sort through this mess.

Otherwise, I believe Deacon Suaiden is quite correct in this:

If you claim that you do not know where the Church is, then you should not judge others of heresy with such certainty.

[stephendaniel]

Please forgive my malice. I confess that it was there. There was sarcasm in my last post. Please forgive me.

Cyprian, I am sorry that the struggle has been so hard for you. It has been hard for me too. I know so little about the situation in the Orthodox Church today and I allow myself to be puffed up with the knowledge I have received. God willing, if I am allowed to receive knowledge of the True Church, I hope to receive the strength to share it openly.

I am sorry. I wish I could delete my last post. Please know that I am trying to be better. And please call me out if I fail to do so. Thank you so much.

[Suaidan]

Please forgive my malice. I confess that it was there. There was sarcasm in my last post. Please forgive me.

Cyprian, I am sorry that the struggle has been so hard for you. It has been hard for me too. I know so little about the situation in the Orthodox Church today and I allow myself to be puffed up with the knowledge I have received. God willing, if I am allowed to receive knowledge of the True Church, I hope to receive the strength to share it openly.

I am sorry. I wish I could delete my last post. Please know that I am trying to be better. And please call me out if I fail to do so. Thank you so much.

I don't think it was arrogant or malicious but I can't read your thoughts. Cyprian has made these sorts of accusations for a good deal of time, and when confronted as to what jurisdiction is so right as to judge all others, he responds that he doesn't have one.

Your personal feelings aside-- not letting him respond and apologizes just encourages this. For all we know he could be a World Orthodox casting aspersions on all of us to scandalize people. I'm sick of the "Old Calendar Ecumenism" claims, and if he has something of substance to say, let him say it, from the position of one who obviously is not part of Orthodoxy and unafraid of scandalizing others, offering NOTHING for all of this.

[jgress]

Thanks, Fr Dcn Joseph. It's not that Cyprian is participating without being a member of a jurisdiction, it's that he presumes to judge all of us as if he were in some kind of position to do so. It's just not right for someone who is certainly outside the Church to judge those who are, at least probably, inside it. This is not because those who are inside are perfect or certain to be saved, but because those who are outside it are no more certain to be saved and indeed far less likely to be.