CyVan Syndrome

Regarding the dialogue on the current state of affairs in Gaza; I respect the sincere comments I have received regarding my strong request for a balanced response on the issue from Metropolitan Philip. I understand that the subject is so volatile that it is difficult to wade through the emotions. If one leans even partially to one side he is lumped in totality to that side and afforded all of its prejudices. This is hardly fair but there seems to be no black and white on this subject. I have endeavored to be balanced and at the same time speak clearly and firmly in language that is not easily mistaken. But people have the tendency to be Cyclops Readers, that is, they only read with one eye. The equivalent is Van Gogh Listeners who only hear with one ear. This condition prevents a person from considering the total of what has been said. They are selective in what they see or hear and react only to the part they have internalized. They suffer from CyVan Syndrome. Unfortunately, this condition does not allow for an adequate or factual response. For instance, I have commended the Archdiocese and the Metropolitan for their pastorate and good works toward converts and their heart for the suffering in the Arab lands but that gets lost in the controversy and my strong comment on “bias”.

I do not mind dialoging with those having CyVan Syndrome for perhaps I can glean from what they have seen with their one eye or heard with their one ear. For instance, a JTO reader just sent me a book called “Blood Brothers, The Unforgettable Story of a Palestinian Christian Working For Peace In Israel”. I am reading it with great interest and am gleaning. There is a false presumption on the reader’s part, however, that I am not knowledgeable of Zionism, its history, its aggression and the plight of Christian Arabs in the Middle East region. This is Cyclops and Van Gogh. I am aware of the existence of the alleged Talmudic Judaism conspiracies and of the tenants of the Zionist movement and am researching for an article on the subject. I have also taken a respectful hit from a Dispensationalist-leaning Orthodox brother who falsely presumed I was anti-Semetic when I pointed out the existence of 911 conspiracies. Further, I have posted one article which defends the Archdiocese from accusations of Anti-Semitism and acknowledged the existence of Jews Against Zionism organizations. I am also Orthodox in my view that the Church is Israel and not the nation and to assume, as some have asserted, that I must be a “Zionist Christian”, is further evidence of the CyVan Syndrome. That accusation is easily refuted by reading other posts on this blog, where I refute Evangelical Dispensationalism. It may be the CyVan effect that causes some to miss these facts and respond with inaccurate and extreme verbiage such as:

 

Heretical 

1.One who holds to a heresy; one who believes some doctrine contrary to the established faith or prevailing religion.  

2.One who having made a profession of Christian belief, deliberately and pertinaciously refuses to believe one or more of the articles of faith "determined by the authority of the universal church. 

(No doctrines have been discussed here much less the straying from foundational truth. I believe some use this serious word too flippantly.)

 Hatred

Strong aversion; intense dislike; hate; an affection of the mind awakened by something regarded as evil.

Syn: Odium; ill will; enmity; hate; animosity; malevolence; rancor; malignity; detestation; loathing; abhorrence; repugnance; antipathy.

(Re-reading the post with two eyes will allow anyone to see that there is no hatred in any of the JTO posts. Strong verbal exhortation to right conduct is not hatred of the recipient of the words.)

Spite

1. To be angry at; to hate. [Obs.]

2. To treat maliciously; to try to injure or thwart.

(There is a difference between anger and righteous indignation. Righteous indignation does not have as its motive to maliciously try to injure or thwart. Jesus’ use of the whip in the Temple is example of this. Those at the end of the whip were still none too happy with Him, I am sure.)

Self-Professed Christian

There is no dictionary definition for this hyphenated word, but it is self-explanatory. To make commentary in the way of indicting a person’s salvation is un-Orthodox and, if I might add, a fearful thing to do.

Terrorist

To use this word in any way, shape or form in relation to any JTO post is to lose credibility in the dialogue.  One objector to the "balance" post even equated me to Cain, asserting that, as a Convert, I am hating my older brother. I can only presume that this included the assumption that Converts are second class Christians whose offerings are not as readily received by God. To apply the illustration correctly, however, wouldn't it be the older brother who kills the younger? Regardless, this scriptural analogy is not applicable here. Christianity is not a club or an organization whereby membership status is granted by seniority or by certified proof of genealogy. Are Arabic Orthodox the real Christians, the rest of us just tag-alongs? According to the parable of Christ, we are all converts and all have the same reward no matter how long we have worked in the vineyard. "The last shall be first and the first shall be last"( Matt. 20). In any case, I do not hate anyone and I have not murdered anyone, especially not my brother. I sometimes take issue with some of my Orthodox Brothers and submit refutation comments on their blogs, which they graciously post. I will also occasionally write an article provoked by something I have seen or heard from those with whom I have had precious discourse, but I have never used any of the words or phrases such as the above in any of my posts and have been fearfully aware that I am speaking of things concerning the activities of the leadership of our church under whose pastorate I dwell.

Setting aside the argument on who is right or wrong in the Gaza situation, and yes, it can be set aside, unless your name is "Cy" or "Van", here is the argument in brief:

Given that Israel has stolen the land and terrorized a people, can someone at least say,

"Brother Arabs, go ahead and attack the evil empire, get your land back, drive the invaders into the sea, but stop using your own women and children as shields, firing rockets from your own neighborhoods assuring retaliation, and stop firing rockets indiscriminately, hitting non-military targets which kills Israeli women and children, Jews, Arabs and Gentiles"?

My desire and heart of compassion is for all peoples, even our Christian brothers in Israel. In my deploring of all atrocities, I have focused on the absence of rebuke from our Church toward the inhuman practices of the Palestinian militants. It is only Cy and Van who could muddy the waters of my clearly worded posts. Surely, as Christians, we can't succumb to "the means justify the end" attitude that Palestinians can do no wrong because the Israelis do no good. I would like to think that in private conference our Bishops are addressing this part of the complex issue, but I believe it would be of great benefit for the world and for Orthodox believers to see that this is an equal opportunity Church where sin and deplorable actions are equally disdained. It is this that is at the heart of my exhortation to the Metropolitan to not be biased. We have a Church and brothers in Palestine, Israel and America alike, and the Church must speak to the concerns of all. The Metropolitan is the voice of the Church in North America. It is some of those North American Orthodox priests and deacons who reportedly verbally and vehemently protested at the last Clergy Symposium, as an Orthodox Academic presented his opinion that Islam is friendly to Christians and Christians fair well under their domination while Israel is oppressive to Christians and Christians fair poorly under Jewish domination. According to several attenders of the Symposium, nearly 250 clergy stood to their feet and shouted "no!", in what one observer called, "a near insurrection." It is this same imbalanced, biased, ethnic demagoguery that is at issue in the Palestinian/Israeli debate and the vast majority of Antiochian Orthodox Christians of North America have little tolerance for such, even from His Eminence.

I will continue to commend the Orthodox Faith, especially the Antiochian Arch-Diocese, to others as the Faith of our Fathers and the place where we all should be quick to confess our sins and faithful to magnify the Holy Trinity. God be merciful to me a sinner, but I will also continue to pray for and dialogue with our Bishops, who guard our souls, that they will remain outside of the political fray and promote only the Faith as found in the Scriptures and Holy Tradition.

UPDATE: See http://journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2009/06/why-we-leftwhere-we-went.html 
for an update on why I can no longer commend the Antiochian Diocese.