parting advisably: 15 October 2012. Vox Pop on the Church Situation?

One of the Cabinet sent this:

I?ve mentally checked out of the OCA. I never really subscribed to the bullshit about an ?American Church?. I just want us to go home to Russia. It?s interesting to consider how much house cleaning would occur here in the former OCA if that happened. Frankly, I don?t hear much about the ?American Orthodox Church? in my parish unless it?s from a few old codgers. The Moriak crap has just put me over the edge. I?m staying in the OCA because I?m staying in my parish, at least for the time being? decent priest, lovely people. There?s a Russian parish close enough, if it comes to that. I?m paying attention to events, but I rarely stir from my parish.

If anyone knows about the content of the Moriak texts in my parish, no one?s talking about it. Frankly, people have better things to do? like living their lives? rather than following the latest scandal. Hell, my state of mind is better if I?m not following everything closely. However, it?s like a car wreck on the highway, with delays from people rubber-necking to see what happened. ?There?s something rotten in the state of Denmark? (Shakespeare,?Hamlet)? what?s so institutionally wrong with the OCA that, time after time, they?ve chosen crappy bishops? Vladyki Job wasn?t perfect, none of us is, but he stood head and shoulders above the current crop.

On another topic, I received the Everyday Saints book recently and have begun reading it. The monks described so far are certainly characters! Regardless of what you can say about the author, he certainly is an interesting storyteller.

There?s been interesting back n? forth on Atty:

He?s done some good renovations, etc, but he?s apparently pushy and overbearing. Seminarians don?t have to stay there on weekends like they used to and he doesn?t either. His wife sings in Mayfield because she likes Slavic music, not the whiney crap the convert seminary director pushes.

On the other hand, I got this:

I know this for a FACT. Fr Atty?s a wonderful man, a real priest. He?s called it as he?s seen it at STS and the vipers hate him for it. He stands openly and unabashedly for the truth. That speaks volumes? ?and makes the cockroaches run from the Light.

I?ve never taken a position one way or the other on Atty personally; I?ve only reported what?s out there concerning him. Members of the Cabinet are all over the map concerning him. You pays your money and you takes your choice.?On a lighter note, one of the Cabinet contributed on Wet Willy:

?Mormonia?? they combined the former states of Catatonia and Polygamiland to form it, didn?t they?? Capital is Grain-of-Salt City? All the women wear beehive hairdos and the men wear funny underwear? I seem to remember spending a few years there back in May of ?98. The kids either buy burgers at the sign of the Golden Tablets or eat lots of Moroni-and-cheese.

Then, there was a little give n? take on this:

Only it?s ?I will give YOU rest?. Plural. I hope you can change that.

?Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest?

The Gospel according to St Matthew 11.28

I?m sensitive to this because after always using the KJV, the half-converted and Renovationists want to abandon that version totally. THE English version? the only one that received help from the?Orthodox during its translation, as Patriarch Kirill Loukaris sent King James? men an ancient copy of the Received Text to help them out. While we DO also use the RSV, Evangelicals have always hated that version (because it?s a critical text translation, i.e. scholarly) so that?s not good enough either. I see them using the NIV or similar versions. Ugh.

I replied:

That was deliberate? it was meant to be ?personal?? that is, Christ gives all of us, individually, rest. Note that I didn?t ?cite chapter and verse?. That?s OK? you didn?t know my intent.

NEVER assume bad intent on the part of one?s interlocutors. NEVER. It?s why I treasure the Cabinet so? I know that there are ?eyes out there?? it keeps me honest. Remember, things are going to get murkier in the near term? believe nothing that you don?t see or that reliable people see. It?ll have a good end, I?m sure, but the trick is in getting there?