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It's not only "best", it's normative.

The impulse to engage in others' samokritika for them stems from the same immaturity.

As it should be, what is best is what is normative. But what is normative is not always what is best.

I consider the health and well-being of the Orthodox Church to be critical to the health and well-being of the Greek Catholic Church. And it is through my love of both the Orthodox Church and the Russian people that I am compelled to speak plainly about the condition of both.

Perhaps some sugar would help the medicine go down.

Yeah, that worked well for Jeremiah. The Orthodox should take note of Roman Catholic history, and in particular the unfortunate tendency to sweep bad news under the rug lest it "create scandal" and cause "outsiders" to think badly of the Church. This allowed the rot to spread until it permeated the entire edifice, and almost brought it down.

Stuart: Okay, I will take the bait:

What exactly is your problem with the Orthodox church? You seem almost obsessed with it lately.

If you must know, I have one problem with the Orthodox Church in general, and one with the Russian Orthodox Church in particular.

In regard to the latter, as I have said it is getting far too close to the Russian state, thereby repeating the error it first made some 600 years ago. It's explicit support for a brutal regime that violates fundamental principles of human rights and dignity, to the point of saying that the authoritarian dictator in charge of the entire corrupt edifice, was "sent by God" (in a good way, no less), makes it impossible for the Russian Church to stand as a moral force independent of the state, and thus to lead the moral regeneration of the Russian people.

With regard to the former, it's the unerring tendency of many Orthodox to see any criticism of any Orthodox Church, or of Orthodox states and cultures, as deriving from hatred either of Orthodoxy or of Orthodox culture. As a subset of this, I am deeply disturbed by an even smaller subset of Orthodox opinion (usually from western converts) that views with grave suspicion all aspects of Western culture that make possible the very ability of these people to be Orthodox in a Western country in the first place. To long for the return of the Tsars, or to see Putinism as a return to the principles of the Byzantine Empire is just perverse.

By the way, thanks to all my Orthodox critics here for forgetting all the myriad times I have stood up for Orthodoxy, as well as all the crap I have taken from both Roman Catholics and Eastern Catholics alike for doing so. It's good to know that you stand by your man.

Thank you Alice for linking my article on Russian Orthodoxy. There is more than just that one article on Orthodoxy if you go to that general section at http://russianreport.wordpress.com

The Levada Centre report from September 2011 says that the number of Orthodox Christians in Russia has grown by 13%, the number of Muslims increased by 2% since 2007, and Catholics and Protestants remained level at around 1%. The number of self professing non-believers dropped from 33% to 22%. At the same time, 47% of the respondents admitted that they seldom went to church.

More: http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=39729

The church as an institution is growing: http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=9031

Growth of any kind, considering the persecuted past, is encouraging. Statistics are difficult in Russia where religion and ethnicity are so intertwined that to be considered truly Russian one must also self-identify as Orthodox. Call a person "Russky/Russkaya" (ethnic Russian male/female) who is not Orthodox and you'll likely be corrected whether they be Muslim, Jewish, etc.

What really clouds this issue however is availability. By that I mean the availability of going to church in large cities is thankfully becoming as easy as anywhere else. That wasn't always the case, nor is it the case in every Russian community yet today.

It has been only in recent times that my wife and I weren't forced to decide which section of the liturgy we'd attend. Of a typical 2+ hour liturgy experience, no matter what time or how early we arrived at our Moscow church there would be a line outside. Laity established practice out of consideration for others was that once you made it inside, you'd stay for 25-30 minutes and then leave out of respect for those still in line outside. I've stepped out of church many a Sunday feeling bad that we couldn't stay for more but feeling just as badly for those who remained outside in the elements for their "turn." Often foregoing communion for the sake of someone else, I've had to remind myself that the mark of a follower of Christ also means considering that other person as more important than just me and my needs.

That isn't a one-time thing or an Easter or Christmas service, it was for a long time a regular challenge in cities like Moscow and Piter. Today it remains a reality in some communities where only one or two churches have been reopened. It is a simple matter of math given population size.

However, speaking of Easter I do remember in 2005 on Easter it was pouring rain and we were standing in the open so decided to leave the line at our home church and try another church. We packed mother in law and daughters into the car (car being something not all Russians have) and drove to another church. There the line outside in the rain was so long we moved on to another church without parking the car. Twas the same at a third attempt. Finally, at church number 4 there was a long line but also a covered walkway between the church and a nuns residence and so we joined the line, shivering in the cold but at least out of the rain. We made it inside about 12-15 minutes before the liturgy ended. Holy Communion was being served but since we didn't take confession at that church it would not have been possible anyway but at least we got to worship for a few minutes and received a small loaf of the blessed bread given to each parishioner. We were able to kiss the cross at the end of the service so that was a treat.

When availability means having to be inconvenienced, only the most devout will make the attempt. That is a sad fact of life and hopefully as that problem is solved the number frequent attendance will change for the better.

Can someone easily take me to Russian churches where only a small handful of the faithful are at the liturgy? Sure you can. I can also easily take you to churches where we'd wait an hour or more to get a turn to enter and it has nothing to do with the dynamics of the priest or the choir or the tuning of the bells. It is a function of a region's demographics and availability.

For example, in the far Eastern Pacific city of Vladivostok, with a population of a half million plus, at the fall of Communism only one church was open. Then for a while there were only 3 open churches but now there are four: Uspenskiy (Assumption) church, St. John Kronshtad church, Protection of the Theotokos, and St. Nicholas Cathedral. The ROC is building new temples to meet demand because there are other church buildings across Vladivostok, but most remain state owned museums.

Today in that city of over 500,000 there are 4 Orthodox churches, 2 Presbyterian, 2 Buddhist temples, 1 Methodist, 1 Synagogue, 1 Lutheran and 1 Evangelical church. There is the Roman Catholic Mission of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 22 Volodarsky Street. http://www.vladmission.org/russianparishes/Vladivostok/vladivostok.htm

Our extended family has a dacha outside Volgograd along the Volga river. Unless we're at our own dacha closer to Moscow of course we attend church when with relatives in the little village along the Volga. Given the demographics of that village, most of the young people have fled for the city or even fled the country as part of Russia's "brain drain." So that little church is seldom crowded, but it is never empty either.

New laws are making the return of property a reality and this has helped. In 1917 and following the revolution some 16,000 Orthodox churches and cathedrals were seized along with other religions facilities. A few hundred have been returned but now new laws will make a significant return possible although some churches like the Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat (commonly called "Saint Basil's") will remain as state museums. All churches listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites will remain in state control.

Final thought: The Russian Duma (parliament) and President Medvedev spend a good amount of time on this year's budget in meeting the need of what a parliamentary committee calls a "revival" of interest in Orthodoxy. No, the state doesn't directly fund churches, but the state recognizes an obligation because of the churches that were seized and destroyed during the horrible Soviet period. That the Orthodox faith is even alive today given 78 years of persecution is nothing short of a miracle.

I believe that Russia's "old-new" president will honour those Medvedev budget commitments unless the price of oil drops so low that he has to slash budget items in order to fulfill the large promises he made to veterans, police, military and pensioners in order to get elected in the first round and avoid a run-off with opposition challengers.

With this we are in full agreement.

I was so disappointed with my Patriarch to have not only lost, but just swept away is a matter of days, so much credibility that he had built up with Russians under 40 of age. Many up until the Putin endorsement and the "vanishing wristwatch" incident, had viewed him as a credible resource, untainted by the demons that hounded Alexi II (may his memory be eternal) from the Soviet era.

Sorry Stuart, but the Church Fathers and Gods Holy Church disagree with you. To be a true Orthodox Christian IS to be a Monarchist. We pray daily for the restoration of the Orthodox Emperor.
"O Lord Jesus Christ our God, accept from us, Thine unworthy
servants, this fervent supplication, and, having forgiven us all our sins, remember all our enemies that hate and wrong us, and render not unto them according to their deeds, but according to Thy great mercy convert them: the unbelieving to true faith and piety, and the believing that they may turn away from evil and do good. By Thine all-powerful might, mercifully deliver all of us and Thy holy Church from every evil circumstance. Free the God-preserved Russian Land and its Orthodox people from all enemies both visible and invisible and restore the throne of Orthodox Tsars. Grant peace and tranquility, love and steadfastness, and swift reconciliation to Thy people, whom
Thou hast redeemed by Thy precious Blood. But unto them that have
departed from Thee and seek Thee not, be Thou manifest, that not one of them perish, but that all of them be saved and come to the
knowledge of Thy truth, that all in harmonious oneness of mind and unceasing love may glorify Thy most holy name, O patient-hearted Lord Who art quick to forgive, unto the ages of ages."

Divine Liturgy St John Chrysostom



"A priest who is not a monarchist is not worthy to stand at the altar table. The priest who is a republican is always a man of poor faith. God himself anoints the monarch to be head of the kingdom, while the president is elected by the pride of the people. The king stays in power by implementing God’s commandments, while the president does so by pleasing those who rule. The king brings his faithful subjects to God, while the president takes them away from God."

St.Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev, tortured and killed by Bolsheviks on 7th February 1918

“The three most ancient opinions concerning God are Anarchia, Polyarchia, and Monarchia. The first two are the sport of the children of Hellas, and may they continue to be so. For Anarchy is a thing without order; and the Rule of Many is factious, and thus anarchical, and thus disorderly. For both these tend to the same thing, namely disorder; and this to dissolution, for disorder is the first step to dissolution. But Monarchy is what we hold in honor.”

St Gregory the Theologian

“The example of monarchical rule there is a source of strength to him. This is something granted to man alone of the creatures of the earth by the universal King. The basic principle of kingly authority is the establishment of a single source of authority to which everything is subject. Monarchy is superior to every other constitution and form of government. For polyarchy, where everyone competes on equal terms, is really anarchy and discord. This is why there is one God, not two or three or even more. Polytheism is strictly atheism. There is one King, and His Word and royal law are one.”

+Eusebius Bishop of Ceasarea

"There is one Lord and Giver of the Law, as it is written: one authority and one Divine principle over all. This single principle is the source of all wisdom, goodness and good order; it extends over every creature that has received its beginning from the goodness of God…, it is given to one man only… to construct rules of life in accordance with the likeness of God. For the divine Moses in his description of the origin of the world that comes from the mouth of God, cites the word: 'Let us create man in accordance with Our image and likeness' (Genesis 1.26). Hence the establishment among men of every dominion and every authority, especially in the Churches of God: one patriarch in a patriarchate, one metropolitan in a metropolia, one bishop in a bishopric, one abbot in a monastery, and in secular life, if you want to listen, one king, one regimental commander, one captain on a ship. And if one will did not rule in all this, there would be no law and order in anything, and it would not be for the best, for a multiplicity of wills destroys everything."

St Theodore the Studite

"God has counted the Emperors worthy to rule over His inheritance, over His earthly Church"

St Gregory Palamas

“God gave the greatest gift to men: the Priesthood and the Imperial power; the first preserves and watches over the heavenly, while the second rules earthly things by means of just laws”

7th Ecumenical Council


"Демократия в аду, а на Небе- Царство" (св. Иоанн Кронштадский)/ "Democracy in hell and The Kingdom in Heaven " (St. Ioann of Kronstadt)


“Russia awaits the Christ-loving warrior, the Christ-loving Tsars and leaders, who would lead the Russian people not towards earthly glory, but for the truth of the Russian path."

St John Maximovith

Deacon: Again we pray for the blessed and ever-memorable, holy Orthodox patriarchs; for pious kings and right-believing queens; and for the founders of this holy temple (if it be a monastery: this holy monastery): and for all our fathers and brethren gone to their rest before us, and the Orthodox here and everywhere laid to rest.

Divine Liturgy St John Chrysostom

Oh, Russia, Russia! How terribly has she sinned before the loving-kindness of the Lord. The Lord God favoured Russia, and He gave her that which He had not given to a single other nation on earth. And this nation turned out to be so ungrateful. She left Him; she rejected Him; and it is therefore that the Lord has given her over to be tormented by devils. The devils took up their residence in the souls of men, and the nation of Russia became possessed; literally, devil-ridden. And all the terrible things that we hear about what went on -- and what continues to go on -- in Russia: all the sacrilege, all the militant atheism and theomachy, -- all of this stems from her being possessed by devils. But, through the inexpressible mercy of God, this possession will pass and the nation will be healed. The nation will turn to repentance; to faith. That will occur, which none expects. Russia will be resurrected from the dead, and the entire world will be astonished. Orthodoxy in her will be reborn and triumph. But that Orthodoxy which had existed formerly will be no more. The great startsy have said that Russia will be reborn; that the people themselves will restore the Orthodox Monarchy. A mighty Tsar' will be placed upon the Throne by God Himself. He will be a great reformer, and he will be strong in the Orthodox faith. He will cast down the unfaithful hierarchs of the Church. He himself will be an outstanding personality, with a pure and holy soul. He will possess a strong will. He will be of the Romanov Dynasty, through the maternal line. He will be God's Chosen One, obedient to the Lord in all things. He will transform Siberia. But this Russia will exist only for a very short time. Soon thereafter will come to pass that of which the Apostle John speaks in his "Apocalypse."

St Feofan of Poltava

What I say, I do not say on my own authority. But, rather, it is that which I heard from divinely-inspired startsy; that is what I have conveyed. The Lord will show His mercy to Russia, for the sake of the small number of true believers remaining in her. In Russia, the startsy used to say, through the will of the people, the Monarchy and Autocratic rule will be restored. The Lord has forechosen the future Tsar'. He will be a man of burning faith, of brilliant mind and of iron will. First of all, he will bring about order in the Orthodox Church, by removing all the false, heresy-preaching and lukewarm hierarchs. And very many indeed -- almost all, with few exceptions -- will be those removed by him; while new ones, true and steadfast hierarchs, will take their place. Through the female line, he will be from the lineage of the Romanovs. Russia will be a mighty state, but only for "a short time."? After that, the antichrist will come into the world, with all the horrors of the end, as described in the Apocalypse.

St Feofan of Poltava

Alexandr

I think this pretty much makes my case.

Dear Mendeleyev,

Thank you for sharing your experience and insights of Orthodox Christianity in Russia.

I love the Russian Orthodox spirituality very much (as well as the Athonite Greek spirituality) and I pray that God will continue to bless your land.

As for your Patriarch, don't be too hard on him...sometimes many Greeks feel disappointed with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for this or that, but we soon forget and continue to support despite misunderstandings and disappointments. Such is always the human condition.

Wishing you a blessed weekend,
Alice