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Saturday, November 10, 2012

Intergnats and Interflies

MY INTERNET STANDARDS
I do not engage in the shameful practice of personally and publicly, on the internet, attacking someone whom I do not like or with whom I disagree. I prefer to have private conversations and fulfill my obligation as a Christian to "As much as is possible be at peace with all men."  If given an opportunity, I always invite those who negatively engage me to e-mail me and discuss their concerns. Should anyone say, "This is not true! I have read your articles where you attack people!", I would tell you, there is a difference between doctrinal debate, where heretical teachings and the teachers of heresies are pointed out, and vilifying one's honesty, integrity, with personal, slanderous or libelous remarks. In posting publicly, I also NEVER use the name and information of those involved in my personal accounts of my Journey To Orthodoxy. I attempt to be as cryptic as possible concerning identities, however, some will always deduce information and presume what I have not spoken. Where I have given too much information (and it has happened once of which I know) that allowed internet trolls to fish out the individuals involved, I personally contacted the individual who was fished, apologized, and edited the article. Also, when I am confronted in the JTO comment section by an abusive person, I always attempt to answer kindly and diplomatically. This is my standard. This is what I try to maintain in my internet discourse.

INTERGNATS
The term "intergnat" is urban-speak for an annoying person who hovers around you at an internet cafe, while they await their turn on the computer you are using. I think the term is also appropriate for annoying people on the internet who hover around your blog and the other blogs where they know you might go, in order to find reason to swoop down on you. I do not have conversations with intergnats. Why should I? They are intergnats. I have discovered that some intergnats thrive off of the hovering and swatting process. The more you swat, the more they move in. I might initially try to swipe them away with a gentle brush of an olive branch, but if they are persistent, I just move on. Intergnats are difficult to squash. It can be done, but, after all, they are just intergnats, so why try? I must be about my Father's business. 

INTERFLIES
Years ago when I was earning my Bachelor of Arts in Religion/Pastoral Ministries, I would get out of the dorm and walk along the river that bordered the campus. Every time I would get to a certain point along the path, there would be a horsefly waiting for me. He would sit on the branch of a tree, and the moment I would walk by, he would swoop down trying to land and bite me. Now, horseflies are not just annoying, like gnats. The bite of a horsefly hurts. They are as large as a bumblebee, can do you harm, leave a sore, and cause an allergic reaction. The attack of a horsefly is also enough to get you to alter your path. They buzz loudly and circle around your head and do not kindly respond to the swipe of a hand. In fact, they get more aggressive. Such an encounter might even cause you to run away, swinging, wildly. My first encounter with the horsefly seemed an anomaly. My second encounter seemed a coincidence  On my third encounter, I realized I had a problem. The horsefly was out to do me harm. I could either alter my path or convince him to give up his harmful intent toward me. On my fourth visit, I came armed with a can of fly spray. He swooped. I sprayed. I never heard his buzz again. Interflies are those on the internet who have, as their mission, to do you harm. They wait until they see you on the interent comment section, or any other profile on the internet, and swoop down. They attempt to bite you by posting libelous statements about you in a forum that your friends, associates and others will see. This has happened to me even recently. I have not swatted at the interflies for the previously stated reasons, however, some horseflies in particular, have been persistent to the point, that I have had to arm myself with a can of internet fly spray.  I refuse to alter my path. I shouldn't have to, especially just for a bug with a bad disposition.

LIABLE AND A GOOD CAN OF SPRAY

The internet gives a person a false sense of anonymity and license. This seems particularly true in the realm of Orthodox debate concerning heresies, jurisdictions, and the like. I have a blog. I have two blogs.  I am accustom to the intergnats hovering around me. I also expect some will follow me around to other blogs in which I might comment. These are the intergnats. However, recently, some interflies have swooped. They have put into writing, libelous statements intent to do me personal and financial harm. I have exhausted the appeal process, so now I am holding up my can of fly spray. My finger is on the button. Here are the ingredients:

libel 1) n. to publish in print (including pictures), writing or broadcast through radio, television or film, an untruth about another which will do harm to that person or his/her reputation, by tending to bring the target into ridicule, hatred, scorn or contempt of others. Libel is the written or broadcast form of defamation, distinguished from slander which is oral defamation. It is a tort (civil wrong) making the person or entity (like a newspaper, magazine or political organization) open to a lawsuit for damages by the person who can prove the statement about him/her was a lie. Publication need only be to one person, but it must be a statement which claims to be fact, and is not clearly identified as an opinion. While it is sometimes said that the person making the libelous statement must have been intentional and malicious, actually it need only be obvious that the statement would do harm and is untrue. Proof of malice, however, does allow a party defamed to sue for "general damages" for damage to reputation, while an inadvertent libel limits the damages to actual harm (such as loss of business) called "special damages." "Libel per se" involves statements so vicious that malice is assumed and does not require a proof of intent to get an award of general damages. Libel against the reputation of a person who has died will allow surviving members of the family to bring an action for damages. Most states provide for a party defamed by a periodical to demand a published retraction. If the correction is made, then there is no right to file a lawsuit. Governmental bodies are supposedly immune for actions for libel on the basis that there could be no intent by a non-personal entity, and further, public records are exempt from claims of libel. However, there is at least one known case in which there was a financial settlement as well as a published correction when a state government newsletter incorrectly stated that a dentist had been disciplined for illegal conduct. The rules covering libel against a "public figure" (particularly a political or governmental person) are special, based on U. S. Supreme Court decisions. The key is that to uphold the right to express opinions or fair comment on public figures, the libel must be malicious to constitute grounds for a lawsuit for damages. Minor errors in reporting are not libel, such as saying Mrs. Jones was 55 when she was only 48, or getting an address or title incorrect. 2) v. to broadcast or publish a written defamatory statement.

With the advancement of Cyberspace, Criminal Liable has an easy-access outlet, but, many law firms, devoted to internet liable cases, have also risen and are also easy to access. There is now legal recourse for victims. This is the fly spray. This post is just the shaking of the can, but unless these horseflies quit circling, I will push the button. You see, what the horsefly on the tree limb did not know was that I had done my research. The horsefly no longer had anonymity and I was no longer willing to endure his attacks. With this, his license to attack me, was revoked. I knew where his branch was. I knew where and when to point the can. When the button was pushed, the spray hit the target. I wish it was just as simple as saying, "Go away horsefly. Go live your life. Leave me, my family, and my business ventures unimpeded to journey on the path of our choosing. You might do better to love and pray for even your enemies, as Christ taught us to do."  However, I have never known a horsefly with poor self esteem. In fact they are proud of what they are and what they do and act out their character with all vigilance. They seem born to bite. Interflies are the same way. Their sense of esteem is only maintained if they are attacking and biting. It seems only a good spray in the face will do.

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Moses The Black-The Motion Picture-UPDATE 11/12

JTO Readers! Make sure you take a look at our updated website, www.MosesTheBlack.com. Go to the Partner Participation page and see how you might be involved in the successful production of this important feature film.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Do You Agree?

"One thing the cross of Christ did was give a meeting ground between purest light and ultimate darkness. At the crucifixion, light met darkness and darkness was vanquished. That should be the focus and work of the Church: Meeting the darkness (of this world) with the light of Christ. Giving the hungry bread, the naked clothes, and the brokenhearted hope that things do get better because despite of whatever they have been through, they are loved... This theme is also what makes great stories. Think of "It's a Wonderful Life". George Bailey's darkness of mind is penetrated with the light of the love of his family and friends and he is brought back from the edge of despair into the arms of love."

If you agree, and you are Orthodox, know that this quote is from a Church of Christ boy. It is truth. It is the Faith.


"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The Heart Of The American Soldier

This Apache Helicopter pilot illustrates the true motive and heart of the American Serviceman. Pray for our troops as they vow to protect and serve.



No, It Is Not Real...It Is A Lie.

Watch this old parlor trick. Every man will give account for using the name of Jesus in vain.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Look To The Hills!

If you are in an orthodox Christian Church (or protestant for that matter) and the life is being sucked out of you, LOOK TO THE HILLS FROM WHENCE COMETH YOUR HELP! In other words, get out of there and go to where the life of Christ can be found and experienced. Such a place does exist. I promise you. Let them call you a "church hopper". Let them accuse you of not "submitting to your priest". Who cares!? Choose to live the abundant life!

"I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly."

And what is that life?

Friday, September 21, 2012

A Word To Rioting Muslims

With the recent stoning of Christian street preachers in Michigan by Islamists, and the spreading Islamic violence on our college campuses, it is time for this kind of speech. Sorry if you think it is unChristian...you are wrong. Truth is always righteous. Islam is anti-Christ and evil.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

A Prophetic Word To Orthodox Bloggers...From Father Seraphim Rose?!

Do not trust your mind too much; thinking must be refined by suffering, or it will not stand the test of these cruel times.

Of course, one can always act wrong even on a clear conscience! But even that is not a fatal mistake as long as ones mind and heart remain open and one keeps first things first.

How much our American Orthodoxy needs more heart and not so much mind! I dont know any answer for it, except more prayer and basic education in Orthodox sources.

Orthodox Christians, surrounded by and already swimming in a sea of humanist-worldly philosophy and practice, must do everything possible to create their own islands, in that sea, of other-worldly, God-oriented thought and practice.

Above all, may we all grow in spiritual understanding, not rational understanding—which I fear is the constant plague of all us poor converts!

The two sides quote canons back and forth, when what is needed is love and understanding—and that statement, I realize, could have come straight from the lips of some ecumenist, which only shows how difficult the path of true Orthodoxy has become in our days.

Good heavens! What is happening to people? How easily one gets dragged off the path of serving God into all kinds of factions and jealousies and attempts at revenge.

How much hope there is for those who do not trust in themselves too much and are not overly-critical of others! And how little hope for those whose orientation is the opposite!

Letters from Father Seraphim, Nikodemos Orthodox Publication Society, Richfield Springs, NY, 2001.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Roseites and the Charismatic Gifts

I have been dismayed to discover the existence, in Orthodox circles, of disciples of Father Seraphim Rose, or "Roseites". Roseites are those who, don't just revere Rose's writings, but consider his writings to be Orthodox Dogma. In the body of orthodox writings, Father Seraphim Rose was a profound contributor, however, caution should be taken by those who would trend toward allowing Rose, or any personally-preferred saint, to be the plumb line of their Christian experience. Apostle Paul warned about this very thing:

1 Corinthians 1
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

Divisions come when these Roseites, who have fallen prey to a version of saint worship, demand that others follow suit and become like them. These demands come in the form of public and private denouncements, and judgements of the spiritual state of others. These Roseites are the creators of contentions and divisions among us.

This is of particular note in light of Father Seraphim Rose's controversial writings on the subject of charismatics. The controversy comes not in Rose's appropriately-issued warnings about the demonic nature of much of the modern-day Charismatic Movement, but in Father Seraphim Rose's propensity to disavow, or at least avoid, any supernatural gifts of the faith. This is the proverbial "throwing the baby out with the bathwater". It is the imbalanced error of pusillanimity, where one so fears the bad, that he misses the good. The Roseites have taken this a step further. Some Roseite-leaning "orthodox" blogs, have taken to denouncing, by name, individuals and groups who are coming into the Church from charismatic backgrounds. These Roseites even become internet trolls, going from site to site, chat room to chat room, sending accusatory e-mails, making phone calls, tattling to priests and bishops, arguing, denouncing, and causing dissension, even with brothers and sisters in their own jurisdictions. Without any shred of evidence as to current heretical activity, these Roseites assume that such converts are not truly converted, or have "incomplete salvation", or are demonized, satanic agents bent on destroying the church. They hold as suspect, and deem as enemies, anyone who dares use the scriptural word, "charisma", and who promotes the scriptural and traditional orthodox dogma that ALL of the gifts of the spirit are still in the church. They fail to consider that, perhaps, one who has been led by the grace of God through the maze of the Charismatic Movement and into true Orthodox Faith through enlightenment, repentance, and baptism, just might have a more balanced grasp on what is, and is not to be trusted in the supernatural realm. It seems the Church as a whole could benefit from such converts.

One writer, on Wikipedia, gives clarity with a good historic picture of the problem with Roseites:
  
"More recently, Holy Fathers have parted with the Apostle Paul's teaching to "desire earnestly spiritual gifts" and discouraged desiring spiritual gifts because of fear of falling into "prelest" a condition where real spiritual gifts are counterfeited. They advise, To avoid "prelest" spiritual accountability of a priest or abbot. Fr. Seraphim was cured from this condition by his spiritual father, the blessed St. John Maximovitch; as a priest and monk himself, he had people under this condition come to his monastery for guidance and prayer. Despite, witnessing real miracles in his friend St. John Maximovitch's life, Fr. Seraphim Rose, did no miraculous deeds (that we are aware of) and discouraged the pursuit of Charismatic gifts at all. Though he made many great contributions to Orthodoxy in both founding a monastery and publishing many books, arguably Fr. Seraphim taught "The heresy of pusillanimity which proposes that since we are not living in the time of the apostles, and are not in the immediate physical presence of the Saviour, it is impossible for us to become holy in the way the apostles were holy." In his lecture, Living the Orthodox Worldview, Fr. Seraphim taught that we can't even approach the saints of old or even regular Orthodox Christians from 100 years ago. Sadly, this belief produced its result with Fr. Seraphim living a life void of the supernatural miracles that followed his friend St. John Maximovitch along with other factors causing him to reject the Charismatic movement. St. John Maximovitch like many non-orthodox charismatics advocated friendship with the Holy Spirit and taught this even to small children(see Illumined Heart podcast series on St. John). This friendship with the Holy Spirit, visible in the lives of St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Symeon the New Theologian, and in the life of St. John Maximovitch produces all true miracles and is the heart of the charismatic renewal within and outside of Eastern Orthodoxy"

The tragedy for the Roseites is that they mirror their preferred saint's life, in that, they are "living a life void of the supernatural miracles", or void of even one of the spiritual gifts through which they may minister in the dynamous power. It is one thing, however, for the Roseites to choose for themselves, to live a life void of the supernatural gifts of the Spirit, it is another for them to have, as their mission, the denouncement and even, in some cases, the personal and often public destruction of the faithful orthodox believers who refuse to limit the workings of the Holy Spirit among us. I ask you: Who is the greater danger to the Body of Christ, those who live and attack out of fear, or those who live and act out of faith?

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

"If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?"

Here is what the Church says about the Charismatic Gifts:

1 Corinthians 12
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. [No matter what the Roseites say]
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many. [Roseites take note!]
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked.
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

...and the more excellent way is to LOVE.  

Roseites: Be of Christ and let HIM increase. Let your favorite saint, Father Seraphim Rose, decrease. The Body of Christ is charismatic. If it is not, then it is dead, and not the Body of Christ at all.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Keep A-Goin'

KEEP A-GOIN’

Author: by Frank L. Stanton (1857-1927)
If you strike a thorn or rose,
Keep a-goin'!
If it hails or if it snows,
Keep a-goin'!
'Taint no use to sit an' whine
When the fish ain't on your line;
Bait your hook an' keep a-tryin'--
Keep a-goin'!

When the weather kills your crop,
Keep a-goin'!
Though 'tis work to reach the top,
Keep a-goin'!
S'pose you're out o' ev'ry dime,
Gittin' broke ain't any crime;
Tell the world you're feelin' prime--
Keep a-goin'!

When it looks like all is up,
Keep a-goin'!
Drain the sweetness from the cup,
Keep a-goin'!
See the wild birds on the wing,
Hear the bells that sweetly ring,
When you feel like singin', sing--
Keep a-goin'!