Comments Posted By Ken Miller
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Humility is the mother of all virtues. May God bless pope Francis.
» Posted By Ken Miller On March 15, 2013 @ 8:19 pm
I was at St Nicholas throughout these events. My family and I are no longer at the Cathedral because I care about the eternal salvation of my children.
If you wish to be hard on Jonah for allowing this to happen under his watch, then why not say the same about the current metropolitan? The Cathedral is still communing open homosexuals and same-sex “married” parishioners. If anything, the Cathedral is even more militantly lavender now than it was then.
Many of us would have loved for Jonah to rule with an iron fist, but that was not his manner. He preferred a soft-spoken deferential way of defending the truth. He was anything but a unilateralist. Still, it is better to have someone stating the truth gently and softly than what we have with other bishops who are completely silent in confronting the lavender heresy.
As for the deacon, he was absolutely NOT disobedient. Prior to his refusing communion to the person who was not qualified to take communion, no priest or bishop had ordered him not to withhold communion from those who were not worthy to partake. In fact, it was Cathedral policy to allow deacons to administer communion, and necessarily the authority to administer communion comes with it the responsibilty to protect the chalice. Any other position is self-contradictory. You either have the authority to administer and protect, or you have neither, but it is impossible to have only one of these because they are inseparable.
» Posted By Ken Miller On March 12, 2013 @ 8:50 am
For those who are inclined to justify homosexual behavior based on arguments of genetics and that it is “not a choice”, it is fruitful to remember the Orthodox anthropology, which assigns the Spirit the role of governing the intellect and body. Although genetics does impact both intellect and body, it does not determine the immaterial spirit.
St Theophan the Recluse summarizes the Orthodox doctrine of man in his book published under the title “The Spiritual Life”:
Thus, by taking upon itself the arranging of its own lot, man’s consciousness became conceited, and freedom became self-willing. The complete falling away from God was accomplished with a certain aversion and hostile revolt against Him. It is for this reason that God abandoned such transgressors, and the living union was disrupted. God is everywhere and maintains everything, but He enters into free creatures only when they surrender themselves to Him. When they are self-absorbed, He does not violate their self-rule; He continues to keep and maintain them, but does not enter inside them. Thus our forebears were also left alone. If they had repented sooner, perhaps God would have returned to them, but they were stubborn, and even with obvious evidence, neither Adam nor Eve would acknowledge that they were guilty. Judgment followed, and with it the punishment of expulsion from Paradise. Then they came to their senses, but it was too late. They had to bear the punishment laid upon them, as did our entire race after them. Thanks be to the all-merciful God, that although He turned from us, He did not discard us, and arranged a marvelous way for reunion with Him.
I have digressed a little far here. We must fix our attention on what happened within man. Indeed! The spirit had authority over the soul and body, because it was in living communion with God, and from Him it received divine power. When the living communion with God was disrupted, the flow of Divine power was also disrupted. The spirit, left by itself, was not able to rule the soul and body, but was drawn to and itself captured by them. The intellect ruled over man, and through the intellect, corporeality, and man became intellectual and carnal. Although the spirit was the same, it was without authority. It announces its existence at times through the fear of God, at other times through the alarms of the conscience, at other times still through the dissatisfaction with anything created. These manifestations are not paid any heed, but are merely taken into consideration, all care being turned to the arranging of one’s life here, to which the intellect is assigned, a life more material, because life here is conducted with a body, and everything that is corporeally tangible seems necessary.
When this subversion of order in the interrelationships of the parts of our nature took place, man could no longer see things in their true perspective, and he could not keep his needs, desires and feelings in their proper place. These needs, desires and feelings were thrown into confusion, and disorder became their characteristic feature. But this condition, which is of course evil, would have been even tolerable, if the passions had not otherwise entered and tyrannized man. Have you seen how wrath racks an angry man like a fever? How envy permeates someone who is envious until the poor man is green? How a mournful man is so consumed by grief that he is reduced to skin and bones? All the passions are like this. They entered inside us along with selfishness. As soon as our forebear inwardly uttered “I myself,” selfishness took root inside him, this poison and this satanic seed. From this, then, developed the horde of passions; pride, envy, hatred, grief, despondency, greed and sensuality, with all of their numerous and multi-faceted consequences. Having become inbred, they agitate to an even greater degree a condition that was already perturbed without them.
» Posted By Ken Miller On March 10, 2013 @ 5:39 pm
I’m not a big fan of blaming the Holy Spirit for the mistakes of men.
As I read the fathers, especially the mystical and monastic writings, the Holy Spirit is only present to the degree that we are pure. The process of becoming pure is the process of acquiring and submitting to the Holy Spirit. I will leave it to others to judge whether our current Holy Synod has reached full purity in motive and action.
Now before I get accused of being a heretic, let me clarify that I do believe the Holy Spirit guides the church. However, I don’t believe that every decision of every local jurisdiction is infallible and in keeping with purity and holiness that the Holy Spirit desires. If one were to hold that, what do we make of elected leaders who have been deposed, or become heretics? Did the Holy Spirit make a mistake?
It is perhaps also useful to distinguish between God’s will in providence, which allows people to make mistakes through free will, but ultimately God finds a way to “work it all for good” to those who love Him, and his moral will, which never includes sin, carnality or political motives. If we claim the result of the “robber council” was the will of the Holy Spirit, the most it could mean is a providential will that is working to make something good despite the failings of those who manufactured a false justification for Jonah’s removal. In fact, God’s providential working in the OCA could be a form of chastisement, to give the OCA the leaders it deserves and not the full blessings of what it could have had if dirty politics had not triumphed.
» Posted By Ken Miller On March 1, 2013 @ 8:59 pm
“Because that’s where the money is!”
There is a sharp distinction between philanthropy and statist confiscation. Philanthropy is rooted in virtuous choices of a free will, while statist confiscation is rooted in coercion and has no virtue as its foundation. As you point out, Orthodox Christians are and must be involved in charitable efforts. Almsgiving is essential for our spiritual development, and to love treasure more than the pure kingdom of God is perilous to our souls, and the response to many on the last day will be “I never knew you.” Anyone who confuses the kingdom of God with political agendas, whether left or right, has fallen into the trap of loving treasure more than God’s kingdom. If one reads the fathers carefully, the Fathers taught almsgiving not primarily for the benefit to the poor, but primarily because attachment to worldly wealth brings death to our souls. Today, we have a lot of statist redistribution, but precious little virtue. If we follow the teachings of the Fathers, there will be much virtue and the poor will be well cared for, both physically and more importantly, for their worth as persons.
» Posted By Ken Miller On March 20, 2013 @ 5:48 pm
Cyprus is a Western European nation founded with similar values to those on which our nation is founded. If being concerned about confiscation of private property is “time-wasting”, it either means you don’t think it could happen here, or you don’t think it is as depraved and evil as it really is. Given that it is actually happening in Cyprus, it’s pretty clear that it could happen here. Therefore, those who are not alarmed by it must not respect the absolute and inviolable principle of private property that underlies the holy command “thou shalt not steal.”
» Posted By Ken Miller On March 20, 2013 @ 5:02 pm
On the Retirement of Benedict XVI
While I agree in the value of tradition and believe that revisions to the liturgy are usully ill-conceived, I don’t agree with attachment to the latin language. If we as Orthodox felt obligated to use the ancient language, we would all use Greek in our liturgy. There is plenty of precedent in Orthodoxy for the liturgy to be in a language the people understand. That’s why we have church Slavonic, and that’s why we do the liturgy in English here in America.
» Posted By Ken Miller On February 25, 2013 @ 9:15 pm
Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
The issue is not that Jillions is on a crusade against corruption. If this were true, and if he were doing it uniformly and equally, then those of us who support Jonah would applaud it. It would mean most of the Holy Synod would be brought up on charges, especially his favorite bishop Benjamin. I don’t have to remind readers of this web site of the laundry list of corruption and moral failings among the bishops that are whispered behind the scenes within the OCA – if anyone is unaware, go back and read the article by the Sons of Job. If Jillions and Tosi were truly on a crusade for purity, they would have supported the investigation into Benjamin that Jonah began, but instead, they put a quick and decisive end to that investigation. So much for openness and transparency. If they were truly trying to clean up the OCA, then Bishop Michael and Jonah would come out smelling like roses in comparison.
What is really going on, which is so obvious to many, is a purging of conservatives and traditionalists in favor of the ecumenical modernism and de-stigmatization of sexual sin championed by Kishkovsky, Benjamin, Jillions, Tosi, etc. It is so obvious. If you had to name 3 bishops during Jonah’s tenure who stood for traditional and Scriptural views on sexuality, the first three names that would come to mind are Jonah, Michael, and Matthias. These were the only bishops to release statements in response to the same-sex marriage legalization a few years ago. Don’t get me wrong – I am no fan of Bp Matthias after his inappropriate texting, but I am against selective enforcement, magnifying the splinter in some while ignoring the logs in others. There is a sin greater than the moral failings some of the bishops are guilty of, and that is hypocrisy. The hypocrisy in this case stinks to high heaven.
» Posted By Ken Miller On February 19, 2013 @ 9:08 am
I Guess Some Hispanics Are more Equal than Others
In a sense, nothing, but in another sense, everything. The point is hypocrisy. The liberal establishment and the mainstream media treat black conservatives as Uncle Toms, and black liberals as heroes. Hispanic conservatives should be ridiculed for the silliest things, while hispanic liberals should get a pass so big you can drive a truck through it. Liberal Women are held up as historic opportunities to elect a woman president, while conservative women are parodied as idiots and not taken seriously. The only reason for noting heritage is to show, apples to apples, the inconsistency.
» Posted By Ken Miller On February 19, 2013 @ 8:35 pm
Welcome to the New World Order. Progressivism covers a multitude of sins, while traditionalism is the unpardonable sin.
» Posted By Ken Miller On February 19, 2013 @ 9:22 am
How Long Will the Dollar Remain the World’s Reserve Currency?
I posted the link as an interesting perspective. The second amendment was designed as a check on tyrannical government and/or threats to democratic government. Whether our government will ever reach the point where it becomes an issue is an open question. I never would have dreamed that some of the things that are happening today would be possible – the executive branch deciding outright not to enforce certain laws and bypassing congress through execute order, justifying the legality of drones and even lethal force without due process on American soil, etc.
As for the use of force, the appropriate stance for monks is total non-violence, because they have renounced the world and do not have any family or children to defend. For those of us living in the world, there are unfortunately times when we need to use force, such as in defense of the country, or for the protection of ourselves and our families, etc. If order in society completely breaks down, then having a means to defend one’s household and family would be prudent.
I do believe Orthodox Christianity should inform our interaction with society. All Christians of whatever political philosophy should bring with them certain core values, such as integrity, compassion, respect, justice, liberty of conscience, etc.
» Posted By Ken Miller On February 26, 2013 @ 10:54 am
A very interesting editorial taken from Pravda about guns:
http://www.mrconservative.com/2013/02/5219-a-plea-from-russia-americans-never-give-up-your-guns/
» Posted By Ken Miller On February 24, 2013 @ 10:31 pm
Putin is nothing if not smart. Our country started going down hill after we switched to fiat money instead of gold reserves. On this issue, Putin is in line with the Austrian school of economics. If he were to fully implement the principles of liberty encapsulated in the Austrian school, that would be something!
» Posted By Ken Miller On February 21, 2013 @ 12:12 pm
Ryan Hunter wrote: “Fr. John’s words imply is, rather, that the Metropolitan is responsible to living up to the expectations and meeting the standards of the OCA Chancery. This view of the primatial role of the Metropolitan is a marked departure from a traditional Orthodox understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a primate of a local Orthodox Church. Church administrators are not to measure or judge whether or not a Metropolitan is successful in his role based on their impressions of him, nor is he to be held to their standards; such an approach is to treat him more like a chairman of a board than as the primate of a local Synod of the Church!”
Carl Kraeff responded: Yes, how dare they not treat him like a Pope!!!
Carl’s response is a total non-sequiter and a red herring. +Metropolitan Jonah never asserted the powers of a pope nor anything close to it. Ryan does hit on the core issue, and that is that church administration has no canonical status, never has, and never will. None. Nada. It’s only legitimate role is to assist in implementing (administering) the decisions of the Metropolitan and the bishops. Since the Metropolitan is the only entity that canonically has responsibility for the spiritual direction and well-being of the entire church (the other bishops should canonically be primarily focused on their own dioces), that means administration reports to the Metropolitan. The battle is not between papists and non-papists, but rather between canonical spiritual leadership vs non-canonical bureaucratic leadership.
» Posted By Ken Miller On February 14, 2013 @ 2:20 pm
Another Response to Myself (Wink, Wink)
M. Stankovich:
I read your work-in-progress at the link you provided. I agree that, to the extent that science contains truth, it is a unified truth. All truth is a coherent symphony, and it is true because it exists in the mind of God.
Regarding science, allow me to posit some claims. I won’t pre-judge whether you agree or disagree – you can speak for yourself in that regard.
In principle, science is not at odds with theology if its limitations are properly acknowledged. Unfortunately, scientists do now always acknowledge those limitations. Some of these limitations are:
1. The domain of science is that which is observable – the physical world. One of its limitations is that it can say little if anything about the transcendent God, morality, the immaterial part of man, etc.
2. A corrolary of this is that science can only speak of what is, not what ought to be. The soft sciences such as psychiatry do cross the line to prescriptive, not just descriptive, assertions, such as what is a malady, and how should a malady be viewed by society and by professionals. When science crosses that line, it is subject to scripture and tradition, not the other way around.
3. The assertions of science are theories, not fact. There are certainly some theories that can be easily tested and that model the data with 100% accuracy. However, in the “soft” sciences, the theories rarely model the data with 100% accuracy.
4. Like other disciplines, scientific fields can be very political. The research that gets published is a political decision by a small number of elite researchers who peer review articles for publication. Dissenting and minority views can be ignored, or worse, vilified. Sometimes those minority views originate from a Christian world view.
5. One of the most profound developments in modern science is the field of genetics. Scientists are mapping every genome and what trait it represents. Unlike Mendel’s peas, human genomes often represent tendencies, not deterministic traits. Genetic traits can be positive – intelligence, talent, creativity, empathy, and so forth, and they can be negative – propensities toward psychological disorders, sociopathic behavior, narcissism, and so forth. Whether a genetic propensity is considered good or bad is a religious question, not a scientific one. The best science itself can do is apply a utilitarian standard, but Christian ethics is not utilitarian. Every individual is born with some positive and some negative propensities. From the standpoint of the Christian faith, same sex attraction is a negative propensity, but what we do with our natural strengths and weaknesses is determined by our free will and our willingness to cooperate with grace.You make the observation that Christ shares the same genetics as we do. It does seem apparent that Christ had the same number of genomes as the rest of us. In the miracle of the virgin birth, it is possible that Christ was endowed with perfect genes, but lets suppose for a moment that his genes were just as random as anyone else’s. Since He lived a life without sin, it means that, through the power of free will, He overcame whatever genetic weaknesses he may have had. In the case of the rest of us, we have access to grace with which we can cooperate to overcome our weaknesses. Fortunately, our salvation depends not on perfection, but on repentance. For those who struggle with same sex attraction, there isn’t anyone who demands perfection. Those who wish to remain in communion with the church should acknowledge sinful actions as sin, should repent of their sins when they fall, and should renounce any lifestyle that is sinful or presents inordinate temptation to sin.
» Posted By Ken Miller On February 24, 2013 @ 10:35 pm
M. Stankovich:
Thanks for your reply. I am heartened by your statement that you agree with the syllogism, and therefore believe that homosexual activity is sin, and requires repentance. It seems we agree that the correct path for those with SSA is a life of celibacy, and if one follows that path, there is no limit to their spiritual development. What I don’t understand is what I perceive is your animosity toward the “conservative” viewpoint, which I believe is consistent with this.
By the way, your link does not work on my computer.
Even +Jonah, whom I don’t think you are a fan, makes a distinction between shame and repentance. Shame is something you get stuck in, and don’t progress out of. Repentance always has Divine forgiveness and restoration as its end. As for “stigma”, my concern and that of my conservative colleagues is that de-stigmatization can be interpreted as taking the “sin” out of the sin, or making it something no longer in need of repentance.
As far as attraction vs activity, the primary qualification for staying in communion with the church needs to be activity, not attraction. The same standard applies for adultery, fornication, etc. However, I do believe the mystical tradition of the church has much to offer even in the area of our mind and desires – what we are attracted to, etc. I would posit that delving deeply into the Jesus prayer, deep repentance, selflessness, and mental stillness, it is possible to achieve complete “dispassion”, and it is possible to develop such a deep passion for the pure kingdom of God that all earthly desires pale in comparison. If a person remains celibate and pursues this course, the end of that course would be a reality in which the same-sex attractions that seem so overwhelming now would fade to almost non-existence. I believe St Mary of Egypt achieved this state of dispassion, despite devoting the early part of her life to pleasure and carnal lust.
» Posted By Ken Miller On February 21, 2013 @ 12:54 pm
M. Stankovich:
I apologize, as it seems I misunderstood your train of thought. My comments were in reference to your statements in response to Fr John that Christ shared our biology and that science does establish absolute truth. Your comments were in response to Fr John’s observation that science is not reliable to address the same sex attraction issue. I thought you were making the point that, since Christ shared our nature, science is a valid way to determine acceptable human attraction/behavior. I see that I did not read your comments carefully enough on that point, and I apologize for mis-characterizing what you said.
I have followed your comments on this and other sites over the years, and I do know that when someone defends what I would call the scriptural/patristic view that homosexual behavior is sin and must necessarily be called to repentance and not accommodated, you take the contrary view. It was against this backdrop that I posted the second part of my comments, which is a simple syllogism defending what I believe to be the traditional Orthodox view on homosexuality. I still stand behind that syllogism, and if you believe it to be flawed, I would like to hear your rebuttal. For convenience, allow me re-iterate the syllogism here:
1. Homosexual sexual activity is sin, and not only sin, but very serious sin of which it is said “those who practice such things cannot enter the kingdom of God”
2. There is no salvation apart from repentance from our sins.
QED: Those who justify or encourage people to unrepentantly follow their homosexual passions rather than repent of them are leading them on the path to damnation, not salvation.
If your answer is that you agree with the syllogism, then I will be very glad to hear that, and it will mean that I have misjudged your comments over the years.
» Posted By Ken Miller On February 19, 2013 @ 8:21 pm
You seem to be saying that what is is what ought to be, universally, when it comes to the nature of man. You totally ignore the effects of the fall. Now I realize that we do not embrace the doctrine of Original Sin the same way the west does, but you would be hard pressed to find any Orthodox saint or father who did not acknowledge the deep and profound stain of sin in mankind since the fall. It is this stain of sin that requires cooperation with grace to work out our salvation.
You seem to believe that if Science determines that some people psychologically lust for a same sex partner, that is good, becuase it is part of the human make-up, and the human make-up is good. If that were the case, when science discovers that some psychopaths enjoy killing people, then that would be good, because what is human is good. The argument is absurd. We do not discover morality from nature, at least not primarily (the doctrine of natural law is still rooted on scriptural foundations and has to do with the created order as it was originally created, not the stains that resulted from the fall).
Let me make this simple for you. There are two incontrovertible facts upheld by the scriptures and universally by the fathers:
1. Homosexual sexual activity is sin, and not only sin, but very serious sin of which it is said “those who practice such things cannot enter the kingdom of God”
2. There is no salvation apart from repentance from our sins.QED: Those who justify or encourage people to unrepentantly follow their homosexual passions rather than repent of them are leading them on the path to damnation, not salvation.
Now I’m sure you will quibble and say these exact words are not in the fathers. I would be happy to provide you with copious excerpts from the fathers affirming these distilled doctrines. Anyone who has read anything from the fathers knows that these doctrines are pervasive. If anyone questions either of these assertions, I highly recommend you immerse yourselves in the writings of the fathers, because these doctrines are central, not ancillary, to our salvation.
» Posted By Ken Miller On February 19, 2013 @ 11:11 am
To give cart blanch authority to the local priest to do as he pleases irrespective of direction from the bishop is absurd. To deal with the ubiquitous lavender heresy at St Nicholas Cathedral and some other parishes in the Diocese of Washington, then +Metropolitan Jonah issued a policy within the diocese to set a uniform policy for withholding the chalice from those unrepentantly practicing homosexuality. Of course, within a couple months, the priests at St Nicholas were back to their old ways and communing open homosexuals and those within same-sex “marriages.” To let someone believe that they are in the Kingdom of God in contradiction to the Apostle who said of such it is impossible to enter the kingdom of God, is heresy. No parish priest has the final authority to decide they will practice heresy.
» Posted By Ken Miller On February 16, 2013 @ 9:55 am
Guest Editorial: Dysfunction in the OCA
I thought about that, but then I thought maybe Fr Vasile was transferred to Metropolitan Herman as Metropolitan, not as the Archbishop of Washington DC and New York (at the time). If one person has two roles, it would seem that some actions could be with one hat on and other actions with the other hat on. Obviously +Job is not here to explain exactly what he meant, but +Job’s signature is at the end of the interview transcript. I wonder if the documentation of Fr Vasile’s transfer is available to see exactly what it says.
» Posted By Ken Miller On November 2, 2012 @ 5:51 pm
I don’t have direct knowledge about their sexual orientation, but allegations that they were homosexual can be found on the Internet that pre-dated the allegation by the Sons of Job. I remember there was even a reference to “blackmail” about sexual sins mentioned in the reports associated with the removal of Metropolitan +Herman. As to the accuracy of the allegations, I will leave it to others to hash out. Whether or not one believes those allegations, the main points in the editorial do not stand or fall based on the sexual orientation of those two men. It is widely acknowledged by insiders that they were morally compromised, but it is more rare for the nature of those compromises to be stated explicitly. I have heard from several individuals who have been around the OCA for decades, and one thing I know for sure is that they saw +Theodosius drunk on many occasions. Spiritual leadership has definitely been lacking in the OCA, with some notable exceptions such as +Jonah, who not only was not morally compromised, but also has a great spiritual vision.
» Posted By Ken Miller On November 1, 2012 @ 6:58 pm
Thanks, Nate. I think there is a difference between judging and holding accountable. Holding accountable is especially important for our leaders. Jesus did tell the woman caught in adultery “neither do I condemn you”, but continued “go and sin no more”. Christ never taught a doctrine of non-judgment that said it is ok for someone to persist in sin. It is sinful to have malice or hatred toward anyone. The goal of holding leaders accountable is not revenge, but rather reformation if possible, and in all cases protecting the flock from being harmed by carnally-minded leaders. There is not a bishop or member of Syosset that I would not embrace with wholehearted support if they were to publicly repent of their role in the corruption and show the fruits of repentance by working for transparency, humility, and fidelity to Orthodoxy faith, morality, and the canons.
» Posted By Ken Miller On November 1, 2012 @ 6:42 pm
If you read through all the pokrov.org documents, it appears that the homosexual priest did continue without repercussions for some time, and finally, in the words of Fr Tosi, was “released to the winds”, meaning not released to any specific jurisdiction, but released from the OCA without any charges, hearings, trial, etc. He was then picked up by the Ukrainians, where he currently serves. I think that practice of “releasing to the winds” raises some serious issues of canonical practice. It is far too common in the Orthodox world to simply release a scanalized priest to let them serve in another jurisdiction with a clean slate. The culture of sweeping under the rug has to change. If someone is involved in a scandal, formal and open charges need to be made, a church trial needs to take place in which testimony is made public and the accused can speak in their own defense, and if the person is found guilty, a pronouncement needs to be made about their worthiness to continue in their clerical office.
» Posted By Ken Miller On November 1, 2012 @ 6:27 pm
It would be a good strategy, but time is short, and it would be quite expensive. Get involved. Send an e-mail to the group that posted the petition to get connected and networked. It is frustrating how many people and parishes are totally oblivious to the truth, in some cases volunatarily because of the culture of looking the other way and not being shocked when scandals are evident, and in some cases simply because they don’t read the Internet and they have not heard.
» Posted By Ken Miller On November 1, 2012 @ 3:34 pm
To be honest, the editorial is not about Fr Vasile or Metropolitan +Jonah, but rather about the dysfunctional way in which business has been done for decades in Syosset and among the bishops. I just happened that we have two independent primary sources that echo some of the same themes in terms of how business is done.
To be sure, Fr Vasile’s case is very different from Metropolitan +Jonah’s, and I will grant you that. As for Fr Vasile’s invective against the bishops, which did not explicitly exclude Jonah at the time, I can also point you to recent documents in which Fr Vasile praises both Archbishop +Job and Metropolitan +Jonah, although acknowledging in frustration that neither one was strong enough to reform the system. In a sense, the parallel is more between +Job and +Jonah, because both did what they could to reform the system, though unsuccessfully.
» Posted By Ken Miller On November 1, 2012 @ 3:29 pm
Sons of Job: The Canons Prohibit the Bishops from Voting at Parma
Nonsense! Due process is not a privilege, it is required by the canons. Your claim that due process is at the discretion of the bishop is absurd. If a faithful priest who has never had any charges is barred from serving, it is a violation of the canons to put him in limbo, with no charges, no transfer to a jurisdiction where he can serve, only blocking him from any possibility of serving according to his calling. If you were a medical doctor, I would like to see you say that it is not persecution if the AMA takes away your ability to practice medicine without explanation, charges, hearing, or due process. If a lawyer is disbarred, the ABA has to bring charges and give due process. Somehow, you think that in the church, we are supposed to live by sleazy practices and not even to live up to the minimum standards of decency that the world lives by.
» Posted By Ken Miller On November 1, 2012 @ 8:06 am
On the topic of scandals, St Nicholas Cathedral is never one to disappoint. This week, at the Parish Council meeting, Fr Dennis (Bradley) pressured the council out of the blue to add a new priest position for Fr George (Kokhno). The council approved this with two abstentions. Almost immediately, Bishop Alexander, the Locum Tenens, appointed Fr George as Associate Pastor.
So why is this a scandal and why does it represent dirty politics? Consider:
1. St Nicholas already has a Russian Speaking priest, Fr Valery
2. Two thirds of the income to St Nicholas comes from the English Liturgy, and St Nicholas has no English Priest – a position that is still open4. Membership at St Nicholas is about half of what it was a year ago
3. St Nicholas has been running a deficit for years, so funds should be spent judiciously
4. St Nicholas did not have two paid Russian priests even when it had plenty of money
5. Fr George is seen as being in league with Fr Dennis, who is the most vocal defender of communing the openly gay members of St NicholasSo, what we have is a church that can barely afford one Russian priest now has two Russian priests and still an open position for English-speaking priest. All of this happend in a matter of a couple days, without consulting or informing the parish. It was sprung on the Parish council and they were urged to act immediately. Obviously, Bishop Alexander is in on the scheme since he acted so quickly to appoint Fr George. If I had to guess, within the next couple weeks before Parma, Fr Dennis will be appointed to the Dean position, solidifying St Nicholas as a modernistic church where traditionalists are not welcome. All they need now is a modernist Metropolitan at the Cathedral – oh wait, I think they will get that too!
» Posted By Ken Miller On October 22, 2012 @ 10:18 pm
The “Outcast” or The Shape of Things to Come?
I have to take issue with the phrase “administrative weakness” in reference to +Jonah. Jonah does not have administrative weakness – he delegates, and holds those to whom he delegated responsible. That is not weakness, that is strength. The last thing we need is a first hierarch who devotes himself to the minutia of administration – then he would be no better than the current crew running our admiistration. He should set the spiritual vision, and let others assist in the implementation.
Jonah was not hated because he lacked administrative skills, but because he challenged the uncanonical structures in the OCA in which church administration runs the church rather than the bishops. This is disfuncional, and because +Jonah challenged it, he had to go. Church administrators should have power limited to specific tasks assigned them by the bishop and they should always be accountable to the bishops and most particularly the metropolitan.
» Posted By Ken Miller On October 17, 2012 @ 10:00 am
Who Does the Government Intend to Shoot?
I just saw an article that the Marines at the Egyptian Embassy were not allowed to carry ammo (http://times247.com/articles/report-embassy-marines-not-allowed-to-carry-ammo). I guess American citizens are viewed as a greater threat than terrorists who storm our embassy on foreign soil! Hmmm.
» Posted By Ken Miller On September 13, 2012 @ 4:53 pm
OCA Snubbed at Ft Ross Celebration?
«« Back To Stats PageRegarding your suggestion that if you are not voting, don’t attend the Parma AAC, there was a suggestion on the “We Want Metropolitan Jonah Back” facebook page to have a demonstration outside the AAC to show that the faithful are not happy with the corrupt politics that ousted Jonah, we will not forget, and we are watching.
» Posted By Ken Miller On August 27, 2012 @ 8:14 am
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