Well Pope Pius is dead.

I've changed my mind. I'm going to blog before the new year.

HARSH LANGUAGE ALERT!

Let's start with the Christmas services for which I sung this past weekend. It's a novus ordo parish with those awful "Worship" and "Gather" hymnals with a typical mild-mannered baby-boomer priest who's not exactly a disciplinarian who lets the inmates run the asylum. Now this parish considers itself "conservative" but only in comparison to the Taj Mahoney or the infamous Joan of Arc in Minneapolis. The things I see there are typical in a novus ordo parish, but in an Orthodox church would get it closed down and the people excommunicated...I'm not sure even the GOA would let it go THAT far, but then I've heard things. I speak of the following:

Altar girls, hippie vestments for the acolytes, acolytes wearing untied tennis shoes, the priest facing the people the entire time, the acolytes not really doing much other than occasionally handing the priest something, no consecration bells, no communion rail, lay people acting as priests and handing out communion, people just walking up and taking the bread in hand (the worst example was an old lady with an attendant-her son I presume- who fumbled with both it and her cane and walked several yards with it in hand until finally popping it like a pill) applause for us at the end, and people staying and turning the sanctuary into a social hall but talking loudly and showing complete disrespect for what is supposed to be the House of the Lord God.

Before Vatican II these things were anathema, sacrilege, heresy etc. Now they're the status quo. Now for Christmas Eve I brought along the Trophy Wife so she could sing carols which we don't do in the Eastern Rite, thank God for St. Michael's in Whittier, CA. We did roughly twenty minutes of music before the Mass, and the choir was decent. There were four or five paid singers along with four rank amateurs who've never had a singing lesson, but it went well. The Trophy Wife sat in the back, being readily identifiable with her head scarf and told me that the people never shut up for a minute, saying "You know you're paying him to sing you might as well listen." These same people also had the nerve to be offended when she didn't want to shake hands with them. She also said she nearly had to smack an old lady for climbing over her during my solo during the "post-communion meditation". The Trophy Wife is convinced that vatican 2 "catholics" wouldn't know authentic Christianity if they saw it. To you vatican 2 roman protestants she says "I was raised protestant but I upped my standards, now up yours."

Christmas day was the same thing but with a smaller crowd and less music. This time the same priest called for a round of applause for us in the choir. This time I asked some folks "I take it that these folks have never read Pope Pius X?" One of the two guys in the bass section (the only people in the choir who did not go to church there were myself and the soprano soloist) asked why. I quoted him saying "It is not fitting for the servant to be congratulated in the house of his master." "Who said that?" "Pope Pius X." "Well Pope Pius is dead." Read that last sentence again. My first thought was "So are the Apostles and all the doctors of the Church, so does that mean their teachings are null and void?" but I was heading out the door anyway. Besides it wasn't my church and I just worked there.

Was I surprised to hear that? Not the least. I expect heresy from heretics. Such attitudes are the norm in the "spirit of Vatican 2" church. Was I disturbed and disgusted? Absolutely. However it reminded my why I'm in the Orthodox Church where I (at the moment) don't have to deal with this BS. I feel so bad for the SPPX people (even thought they tend to be dicks and call me a heretic) and the Catholic Cavemen. I think it was Thomas Aquinas who said "People will always choose the dimly lit over the brightly illumined."

Now for something completely different. I have a...brace for it...Catholic sister who just told me a scary story about her house. It came up when the Trophy Wife told her she would wake up screaming a few times swearing there was a dark figure standing in our bedroom. She'd scare the bajezus out of me but I never saw anything and would cover her mouth until she'd stop screaming, a skill for which she's well known in legit theatre. Now my sister goes to a parish that tries to be "traditional" with the novus ordo meaning the priests have done away with the freemason table and doesn't everything at the High or side altars, uses only boys and tries not to allow lay people to be priests during communion time (I say you can't shine crap but I digress) and has the TLM weekly. The pastor there is friends with SPPX priests and a famous priest who frequently serves the TLM there and at the nearby Catholic church which shares a pastor.

Now my sister told us about how her son (who was ten or eleven at the time) had been exhibiting the same behaviors that one of our cousins had. This cousin in particular committed suicide in the late 1990's and had descended into spiritual darkness prior as evidenced by his art. Back to about five years ago. She asked the famous priest how to curse someone, meaning actually how to do it. He asked her why and she said that she believed that our mother may have cursed her children (our mother went to the Joan Crawford school of parenting to make a long story short). She then told him about how she would wake up and see a dark figure standing in their bedroom doorway, and how it was always cold in her son's room no matter the season, and that she had experts look at it only to tell her that there's no reason it should be so cold, and that her son had started to behave just like our cousin. He asked her questions like if the house was built over a graveyard or an Indian...Native American burial mound, who lived there before and if anything bad happened there. She only knew that the previous owners had a teenager in that room and perhaps he wrote occult symbols on the walls that were painted over but she didn't know. She also told him that her husband thought this was all bull. But her son also felt something in that room and always left a light one when he slept. Once when they left their dog in the room during a party, the dog was howling and literally clawing to get through the door. The marks are still there.

The priest told her that often when someone dies tragically they often latch on to someone they trust when they don't want to go. In my cousin's case he likely had nowhere to go but Hell, but God judge him. An evil spirit may also latch on to a place. If the case is that there were occult activities (Wicca, Church of Satan whatever) and if there were symbols on the walls that were painted over, you can neutralize this by painted or writing Scripture passages on the walls and paint over those. The Word of the Lord drives away demons as does the Name of Jesus Christ. I reckon it doesn't really matter which language you use. House blessings wont expel demons, it will only prevent more demons from entering. Icons are great too, blessed icons that is. So this famous priest came over and did a complete exorcism of the house. He also gave my sister blessed salt (which is a russian tradition from what one of my priests told me)to scatter on her window sill and a bottle of holy water to sprinkle on the icons and the walls and floors.

The priest told her that women have the ability to sense these things better than men, he for example is spiritually numb. He can't feel these presences, which he says is good otherwise he'd never be able to combat demons. This is another reason women can't be priests, they're not grounded. Performing an exorcism would be too much for them. He told my brother-in-law to listen to her if she thinks she say an ghost, and that if they ever sense an evil spirit to expel it saying, "In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to be gone."

I thought "Get behind me satan" or "Vade retro satana" (in latin) worked too. Now there's a project for the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Catholics (real ones not those novus ordo protestants) to work on. Fighting the devil and his minions. I asked my own priest and he said incensing while praying and sprinkling holy water on icons and the walls works.

Oh, and my nephew stopped exhibiting those behaviors and the room isn't cold anymore.

Merry Christmas

This will be my last post until 2010. To all my goombas at the Lair of the Catholic Cavemen (Cavey, PreVat2, FAB et al) Subvet, Ignorant Redneck, Inquisitor Generalis, and all those in the conservative resistance and the unsilent majority, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. God grant you many years!

Christ is born! Let us glorify him!

To those of us observing the Julian Calendar for liturgical life, happy feast of St. Spyridon the Wonderworker. Just two more weeks till we observe the traditional time of Nativity.

To all you atheists, YOU SHOULD ALL BE WORKING TOMORROW!!!

I am Santa Claus!

A half-assed post

To the five or six people who read my lame-ass blog, I apologize for not writing much as of late. The holidays and working three jobs and trying to stay in shape is taking me away, that and the blogs I read are just too much fun. I'm stuck in the midwest since Hollyweird wont pick up till after the New year, and I miss the palm trees already. I couldn't get around due to all the snow. Until I go back later next year I'll be doing my thing up here, and the trophy wife and I have decided to join a gymnastics gym and take up free running (parkour), tumbling, apparatus, movie stunts and circus skills, though not all at once.

Tried ice skating for the first time in five years (because the trophy wife didn't have skates and never got around to buying them). We got real sore from the trying not to fall and our skates not being broken in.

Got a paleolithic comment about I don't know what. I do moderate those. I just deleted it because I have no idea what it referred to.
Great comment from a Rush caller, "There are no liberals. There are only liars and those who are lied to."

We will be observing Christmas on the Julian calendar again and until ALL Orthodox bishops decide otherwise. It feel more like Christmas. No commercialism, no rush to get somewhere, just us and God. We're not going to open presents till them, though we don't have many. Instead we're getting those lessons we mentioned earlier.

I'm going to work on a parody of Glorious Leader, I'm stealing the idea from Glenn Beck where he wrote lyrics to the tune on the former Soviet Anthem.

I'm singing for a Catholic church here in the midwest, though not SPPX or one that has a TLM. I offered my services to one but the priest said he was worried about the Mass getting "too long" and feared a revolt. The average St. John Chrysostom DL is 90 minutes. So I still get to endure the NO! up here.

So hows that audit in the AOANA coming?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Abp. Job-Memory Eternal

Read articles here and here.

Those effing "End of Year" letters

This says it all:

Catholics are like shopping carts...

...you never know what you're going to get.

Larry D has written this gem comparing Catholics to shopping carts. Here's a sample:

Then there are larger groups that congregate in the parking spots. They're in the way, and they accuse those who want to use the spot as being oppressive and judgmental. Strangely enough, they think they're in the Church because "where two or three are gathered", they say. But they aren't tolerant of those who try to use the space - they get defensive and become more stubborn. Sometimes, though, another cart comes along and gathers them in, and by God's grace, they find their way back to the corral. But by and large, this group believes the institutional corral is wrong, that Christ never intended to create a corral the way it is today. They stay where they are, becoming a nuisance and source of irritation to everybody.

Read the rest here.

Molotov smackdown on homofacists Part 2

This one wasn't nearly as good as part one. He takes on the debunked "gay gene" and their assault on the Bible for calling such perversions an "abomination."

SVS to give honory doctorate to archdruid?!

H/T to Byzantine, Texas

WARNING! HARSH LANGUAGE ALERT!

I thought this was something in the Onion, but it's serious. This is a new low in ecumenist pandering.

(SVS) - On Saturday afternoon, January 30, 2010, The Most Rev. and Rt. Honorable Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury and head of the [heretical] Church of England, will deliver the annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. The archbishop will speak on the topic “Theology and the Contemplative Calling: The Image of Humanity in the Philokalia.”[will it include how sodomy is an abomination that screams to Heaven for vengeance, how a schismatic heretical sect founded by a horny tyrant who executed Thomas More and started killing Catholics and stealing their buildings and still prohibit a member of the Royal Family from being catholic can be legitimate? Thought so.]

St Vladimir’s Seminary will also confer upon the archbishop [that should say "archbishop"] a Doctorate of Divinity honoris causa, in recognition of his contribution to the academic study of Eastern Orthodox theology and spirituality. [you mean, like the South Side Stooge's "contributios" that "earned" him the Nobel Peace Prize?] The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir’s, was examined for his own doctoral degree at Oxford University by the archbishop, then a professor of theology there. [oh I see. It's a payback for an old heretical friend.]

“Many Orthodox Christians may be unaware of Rowan Williams’s research and contribution to the field of Orthodox theology,” said Father John. [maybe it's because of his new age practice, and his declaration that Sharia law is inevitable. He's not exactly the first person to come to mind when one hears "Orthodox". He's is so only in comparison to arch fag Gene Robinson.] “But he was a pioneer in this field, with outstanding breadth and depth. The subject of his own doctoral thesis, for instance, was the work of the great Orthodox theologian Vladimir Lossky, the first academic study of the émigré theologians. [this is the guy whose "church" is "ordaining" women and divorced fags who continue to drive the hershey highway?] He has also written beautifully on the icons of the Theotokos and the Transfiguration, and, most recently, has published a highly regarded volume titled Dostoevsky: Language, Faith and Fiction. In recognition of his outstanding work and contribution to the study of Eastern Christianity, we are very pleased that he has accepted to deliver the 2010 annual Schmemann lecture.” [uh folks, I don't have a thing to learn from heretics. Do you?]

The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor and CEO of the seminary, likewise noted the import [sic] of the upcoming visit. “The archbishop is a patron of The Fellowship of Ss. Alban and Sergius, a society of Eastern and Western Christians that held a major conference on our campus in 2008,” said Father Chad. “And we welcome his presence as a person who supports the continued dialogue of the society’s members.” [do you mean how you show them their errors and heresies and call them to repentence, or is it just the usual smarmy, meaningless ecumenist "we believe in the same god" garbage that we've come to expect from Phanar and the WCC?]

The lecture is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m., and will be filmed and live streamed by Anglican TV Ministries. The seminary is located at 575 Scarsdale Road, in Yonkers, NY. Please visit www.svots.edu or call the seminary events coordinator at 914-961-8313 ext. 351 for further information.

Note: Visitors needing overnight accommodations for the lecture may make their personal reservations by January 5, 2010, at Royal Regency Hotel, 165 Tuckahoe Rd., Yonkers, NY 10710, 914-476-6200. The group code is ST VLAD and the Group Rate is $119.00 per night plus tax.

You know, why they're at it why don't they invite immans and hindu priests and pray with them? This is the kind of drivel that the Church Fathers warned us about? Why do I have trouble seeing St. John Chrysostom giving awards to arians, or St. Patrick when he was a bishop praying with druids, or St. Irenaeus asking gnostics to speak to his seminarians? If anglicans/episcopalians want to be of the same Faith they can join the Orthodox Church. I'm just beside myself.

Why I wont be joining the "True or Genuine" Orthodox anytime soon part 2

The Lewis Family, whom I like and to whom I am very sympathetic, has received the baptisms they desired, and got their marriage recognized by an Orthodox Church. You can read about it here. I envy them since I never had an Orthodox baptism. God grant them many years!

They were baptized by a priest from this Church.

Looks good so far right? I even looked at the article about "Conservative New Calendarists" which refers to people as myself. But look to the right and I saw a link to this.

Never Heard of HOCNA? Well, read about them here. Guess what? It's likely if the Lewis' ever left this group for another OC group, their baptisms wont be recognized.

If this is "True Orthodoxy" I'd rather be a heretic. This is the fox guarding the hen house.

I want my t-shirt!

RIP Jim Henson.

Glorious Leader strikes at Bishop Mark

H/T to the Ochlophobist

TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE CHURCH BULLETIN
AND READ AT THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

December 3, 2009

Brother Hierarchs of the Archdiocesan Synod, Beloved Clergy, Esteemed Members of the Archdiocese Board of Trustees, Parish Councils and God-loving faithful of the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest:

Greetings in the name of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray you are all in good health as we continue our preparation for His Nativity in the Flesh.

Last month, a directive was sent out by His Grace, Bishop MARK implementing a new financial system of checks and balances for our parishes in the Diocese of Toledo. After this letter was issued, I spoke with His Grace and expressed my concerns about unilateral actions being taken in individual dioceses regarding such major issues. Unfortunately, following our conversation, a second, even stronger letter was issued to all of you. Without weighing in on the merits or short-comings of the system outlined in these directives, a major mistake was made with regard to policies and procedures in trying to implement this, or any new protocols in our one, united Archdiocese.

Let me remind both the members of the clergy and the laity, that before any new policies or procedures effecting the life of our God-protected Archdiocese are to be implemented or directed by anyone, whether with regard to spiritual or temporal aspects of parish life, they must first be approved by myself and the Archdiocesan Synod and, in some cases especially those dealing with financial procedures), the Archdiocese Board of Trustees.

We have one financial system in this Archdiocese and it will remain that way. When new ideas are put forth and/or new situations arise that require our attention, the Metropolitan, the Archdiocesan Synod and, where applicable, the Archdiocesan Board of Trustees will consider them and a decision will be made for the entire Archdiocese, rather than each diocese having its own set of policies. Therefore, please disregard any directives regarding new policies or procedures for your parishes you may have received or may receive in the future unless they are issued from my office under my signature.

Let me also remind you that our long-standing directive that each check issued by any organization of the parish must have two signatures, and that neither of those two signatures are to be affixed to blank checks, is still in effect. Additionally, all bank statements and accounts should be reviewed monthly by the pastor and the parish council chairman in addition to the treasurer. Finally, please know that at our Archdiocese Board meeting this past October in Houston, the Board approved an internal audit of the Archdiocese. We can also suggest this for parishes if you feel the need to do something proactive. Given that external audits are expensive and many parishes in the Archdiocese, especially many of those in the Midwest, cannot even pay their Archdiocese assessment this year due to the economic situation, to impose such a system at this time is not prudent.

Wishing you and your families a spiritually rewarding remainder of the Nativity Fast and,in anticipation, a most joyous Nativity, I remain,

Your Father in Christ,
+Metropolitan PHILIP
Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of all North America

Perhaps Mark Stokoe at OCANews will have more details but let's call this what it is: Glorious Leader imposing his will to cover up for him and his buddies. He's just a typical old man kvetching whenever he doesn't get his way. In his mind, ALL OF THIS IS HIS! I seriously don't know what it's going to take for Bishops Mark and Basil and the rest of the God-fearing Canon-observing people in the AOANA to rise up in revolt. This pattern of battered spouse syndrome has to go! It's time for everyone to grow a spine, and accept suffering for Christ's sake like all the martyr's before us and accept a little discomfort! If this means losing a pension, SO BE IT! What good is gold to a man who has lost his soul? It's time to merge with ROCOR or OCA (I'd prefer ROCOR, but their emphasis on being russian will deter many) then anathematize Glorious Leader and all his buddies.

No further comment is necessary. Glorious Leader's arrogance speaks for itself. But here's a good comment at Ochlo's blog

orrologion said...

Diocesan bishops should kindly limit their "unilateral actions being taken in individual dioceses" to minor issues such as the Divine Liturgy and ordinations. Canon XXXIV of the Holy Apostles is clear that "The bishops of every nation must acknowledge him who is first among them and account him as their head, and do nothing of consequence without his consent."

Of course, the good Metropolitan keeps forgetting to read all the way to the end of this same canon: "But neither let him (who is the first) do anything without the consent of all; for so there will be unanimity, and God will be glorified through the Lord in the Holy Spirit." He also seems to have gotten bored and forget to read to Canon XXXVIII of the same Holy Apostles regarding what sorts of "major issues" are, in fact, included under the purview of the local, diocesan bishop: "Let the bishop have the care of all the goods of the Church, and let him administer them as under the inspection of God."

Perhaps there are other, more recent and pertinent canons that interpret this canon in either the Church of Antioch or its Archdiocese of North America.

ANAXIOS!

and another one bites the dust...

The dead wrestler club has another untimely member. The wrestler known as Umaga has died from an apparent heart attack WWE.com reports. For another report go here.

This is why I got out of the wrestling business so quick. Not only is there no money for 95% of the wrestlers in the country, but I wanted to live to see 40.

Random thoughts 12/3/09

For those of the five people who read this blog, I make many trips to the midwest and California. I'm trying to make it in Hollyweird in the background while doing some stage/opera work, and when not that I'm a massage therapist, and when not that I sing for a Novus Ordo church. Massage isn't making me squat and this month will especially suck. Next month will pick-up due to gift cards. No kids yet but hope to change that in the next few years. I'm still below forty so I'm told I have time, though it feels like I have to chase it.

I only have client today, so what should I talk about?

Beer

My mother-in-law lives not too far from the Potosi Brewery and National Beer Museum. The food is ok at best, but the beer is decent to good. They're purists though, which means they don't infuse anything. We spent Thanksgiving with her, and went to the Potosi Friday after and FINALLY got some Oatmeal Stout which was really good. I'd say as good as Summmit, Fitgers, and Left Hand.

MP and Rome

Cavey beat me to the punch again. It's nice to see cooperation between Rome and Moscow, after all they have the same enemies: Lucifer, secular jihadists, militant sodomites, jihadists and liberalism in general. Catholics and protestants I know are surprised to hear that we Orthodox have a western rite too. (ya'll can read about it here).

On the other hand, I am very sympathetic to the Catacomb Church (I am a caveman after all) and Met. Valentine's synod. Argue with their reasons all you want but they don't trust the MP.

On the other hand the Old calendarists tend to be creeps, Nathan Lewis and family a notable exception. I've already listen my reasons for not joining them so there's no need to do so again.

Yes I realize those are three hands.

Nathan and family

I fully support their decision to leave Antioch for a True Orthodox/Old Calendarist jurisdiction and agree with their reasons. I am fully sympathetic to them for the hate mail they've been getting from all these "christians" who are calling them zealots, fundamentalists and what have you, while never addressing the facts and logic Nathan presents. It's very simple. They want an Orthodox baptism! The modernists and ecumenists in Antioch wont baptize them! You have to join ROCOR or Bulgarian Archdiocese or the OC's. The Lewis's think ROCOR are ecumenists, I disagree but cest la vie. They have no choice but to leave. I'm sure they'll find problems in their new Church, actually I guarantee it. But you know what? It's their souls they are guarding. The word "canonical" to the World Orthodox merely means being in communion with Black Bart, who would've been anathematized in any other century.

Nathan and family, God grant you many years!

Liberal Pussies protest their lord

It was only a matter of time. In downtown Minneapolis some liberal d-bags were protesting the TOTUS, the metrosexual man-child narcissist also known as "The One" President Obama. Apparently they're having a great crisis of Faith now that their lord FINALLY made up his mind and is sending a troop surge. Of course these a-holes disrupted rush hour traffic and got arrested. But since when have liberals ever worried about incoveniencing hard-working people?

Smithsonian and American Heritage

We've been getting these magazines as of late. The last two Smithsonian's have had articles on Charles Atlas and Vince Lombardi. The more I learn about those two the more I like them. Lombardi went to Mass every day, and according to a quote from Bart Starr, if you had ever heard him during practices you'd know why. He swore like a sailor. His plays were always simple and he'd drill drill drill to the point where everyone knew everything by heart, and at the end they'd all have to hand the playbook in in case anyone got traded. An anonymous commenter took issue with the claim that Charles Atlas went to the YMCA with other body-builders and supplemented with weights. Hey man I just read it in Smithsonian from guys who said they worked out with him.

The latest American Heritages has things on the Civil War, John Brown and Teddy Roosevelt. There doesn't appear to be any liberal bias as far as I can tell.

Much outcry, little outcome

So how's that audit coming in the AOANA? Thought so. Well Glorious Leader aint gettin' one cent from this knuckle-draggin' white honky cracker.

So what do I think of other Odox bloggers ignoring me?

I don't give two craps. I don't care if I'm up against a "good guy" and I get booed, or if I'm up against a "bad guy" and I get cheered. I'm here to fight for truth, justice and the Orthodox way. I'm Orthodox first (though not the greatest) then American, then Conservative, then everything else. I'm not out to win awards, just to write down my own petty little thoughts and to provide some mild entertainment to the five people who read this blog. I also like to share information. As you can tell I have many interests. I don't have ghost stories as of late. Just too busy.

Besides, most Orthodox blogs are mind-numbingly boring.

That's my rant

Molotov smackdown on homofacists Part 1

Molotov Mitchell says it better in this little video better than I can write about it. Militant sodomites will stop at nothing until they turn America into their sodomite hell. They're not content to be just left alone (like most "gays" I know) they want to force their ways on you too. Guess where they want to force it?

He may mention it in part 2 but they also like to use Fred Phelps (of www.godhatesfags.com) as a straw man. While Fred Phelps is a raving heretic who hardens hearts against God and all those who claim to be Christians a bad name, he and his family have never killed anyone. They're only guilty of being tactless, rude, obnoxious and heretics. That's not illegal. Orthodoxy's fight is against sin whether it be usury, simony, adultery, fornication or stealing. We oppose anything that pollutes the soul and keeps one from attaining the perfection in which they were created. Ironically Fred Phelps and the militant fags have one thing in common: they've made it personal. So on a personal to Chelsea Lately who loves to wail and gnash her teeth at anyone on her E! show who states the obvious that sodomy is an abomination: you may be a house-hold word, but so is garbage, and it stinks with age too.

As the late, great Reggie White used to say, "If you aint being called a bigot or a homophobe you're doing something wrong."

Don't come to Church

I may be breaking my "no theology" rule, but then like Mad Dog Vachon I break the rules! From Fr. Andrew blog Roads from Emmaus is this article The Defamiliarization of Christ. I particularly noted this paragraph:

In my own experience, I’ve found telling people not to come to church if they don’t believe in it to be remarkably effective. We’re so familiar with fake religious folks that it’s often refreshing to be told not to come to church. It’s not worth it to fake it. It’s actually more dangerous to come and act religious than it is to stay home and watch football instead. Please, stay home and watch football. At least you’ll be authentic. This is in line with Orthodox doctrine, too, because our whole theology is predicated upon man’s free will. Religion as obligation is the slow suicide of the Church. It’s a curious thing, however, what men and women will do when you set them free.

You know, I've been thinking this for years. I'd much rather have a small church of faithful who take this seriously than pews full of luke-warm, hypocritical freeloaders who don't give two craps.