[CS-FSLUG] NI: Russian Orthodox bishop appeals for Catholic-Orthodox alliance

[Fred A. Miller]

On Wednesday 05 October 2005 5:47 am, dmc wrote:
> >> I was referring to recent history -- where I know from first-hand
> >> accounts that the Orthodox church is trying to abuse its official
> >> position to suppress evangelical activities under the guise of
> >> preventing heretical cults.
> >
> > I'd want to read evidence of that, sorry.
>
> It was in the general media and reported by multiple evagelical
> Christian missions organizations.  There was no secret made of
> it.

'Unaware of it, and I know about a LOT of news.

> I do not know how it turned out as I believe several elected
> officials from the USA contacted government officials to
> complain and there were some high-level conversations between
> denominations.

A good deal of what I trust is VOM and nothing has come from them.

> >> It is, in fact, rare in the history of Christendom that
> >> anything other than individual Christians acting out of
> >> true faith-driven relationships with Christ that have been
> >> terribly worthy of celebration.
> >
> > That is your perspective.
>
> It was the Apostle Paul's greatest point of conflict,
> even in the early church.  It what Jesus also spoke
> most strongly about -- abuse of power by religious
> leaders -- "Whitewashed tombs", "Sins of perdition",
> "Vipers".

That is true.....there was some of that. We're supposed to be smart enough to 
"nip that stuff in the bud" before it becomes a problem. 'Sometimes, however, 
that doesn't happen.

> My experience is across multiple denominations, including
> attending a Roman Catholic high school and having family
> in the RCC, friends in the Greek Orthodox and Lebanese
> Melkite (sp?) church, and etc.

We both are "well traveled." ;)

> I do not speak from an absence of first-hand observation
> nor from the absence of reading church history, nor from
> the absence of other information, not the least of which
> is the chronic cyclical problems in the RCC as they isolate
> from accountability and things like selling indulgences
> or coddling serial homosexual child abusers happen over
> and over -- the cycle is there because of an institutional
> flaw that they refuse to address.

Some additional problems between Orthodoxy and the RCC are indulgences and 
priests not being allow to marry (I already mentioned the later). Note, that 
the 1st 1,000 years of the church (if I remember correctly) they did. IMHO, 
it's UNnatural for them not to marry and as you correctly point out, causes a 
great deal of grief for everyone. Now, it SHOULD be pointed out, that there 
are VERY FINE upstanding Christian priests who have NEVER "touched" a child 
nor anyone else and wouldn't. However, celibacy SHOULD be a choice, NOT a 
mandate.

Fred

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