gdp's Comments

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : NFTU Radio: True Orthodoxy versus \"World Orthodoxy\": 2 of 5 07/17 by NFTU | Blog Talk Radio

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 04:30:03 +0000

Dear Alexis:

Keep listening. We hope within these 5 episodes we'll have made the clear case: if you want to stay alive in the grace of Orthodoxy, come to the True Orthodox. The divisions are not insurmountable.

And, sad to say, crazies are everywhere.

In Christ,
Deacon Joseph Suaiden
St Eulalia Orthodox Mission Chapel, Yonkers NY
A Mission of the Orthodox Metropolia in North America
Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of North and South America and the British Isles

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : Subject: Fr Victor Dobroff on Izhevsk Question

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 01:55:33 +0000

For the record, this was written by Fr Victor Dobrov, not any of us at NFTU. We put it up, because the subject matter was newsworthy, not because we agree or disagree with it. I tend towards thinking this distinction between "Patriarchate" and "Patriarchia" is very novel indeed.

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : TOC Nuns Venerating Relics Forced out of ROCOR-MP Cathedral

Wed, 1 Jun 2011 11:41:47 +0000

Dear Fr Stefan, So to see if I understand you correctly, Fr Peter confirmed everything in this report, but claims that the nuns were stavroclasts as his reasoning? Really? He also mentions emailing him. How does one get in touch with him?

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : TOC Nuns Venerating Relics Forced out of ROCOR-MP Cathedral

Sat, 21 May 2011 16:23:56 +0000

Fr Nectarios of the OCA writes: "I think there is more to this story than is being told." Considering that you consider NFTU biased and that we should take our news from official World Orthodox sites, I'd assume you would. But there isn't. How's that Metropolitan Jonah thing working out for you by the way? Still think ocanews.org was exaggerating and that we should trust the official line? "First, I would question why anyone, regardless of jurisdictional squabbles and politics would refuse to kiss the Cross of Our Lord. It matters not if the cross is offered by someone from the Moscow Patriarchate, Serbian, Coptic or Protestant." That's insane. Kissing the cross in one's hand is a liturgical action. They weren't participating in the service, so why were they singled out by the priest in question? "Second, how long after leaving did the nuns decide to return?" The original story indicates they didn't so much even leave the premises, which would mean the doors were locked behind them. "Has anyone spoken with the Priest in question? Or are we just in the process of launching accusations about?" Considering the nuns didn't know who the priest was, and only later were informed it was allegedly Fr Peter Perekrestov, I'd say that we have received no statement from the priest in question. As this was not widely reported until now, I would assume this was not supposed to be given high exposure. Of course, we'd welcome the priest's response, especially if this was due to a misunderstanding. Certainly an apology is in order. There is no indication that "the church wardens thought everything was over, and sadly due to the times we live in, were just doing the normal relocking of the doors", as you write. This seems like a directed action, and if this was simply throwing some nuns out to get the doors closed-- well, we'd love to hear it.

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : Metropolitan Jonah placed on \"leave of absence\"

Wed, 2 Mar 2011 04:25:03 +0000

They haven't retracted it yet.

I will wait to see what they do before retracting.

In Christ,
Deacon Joseph Suaiden
St Eulalia Orthodox Mission Chapel, Yonkers NY

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : Metropolitan Jonah placed on \"leave of absence\"

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:33:50 +0000

Further, I will add that this release was a _response_ to the original news story released on romfea.org and ocanews.org, perhaps in response to a public outcry. From my perspective, we still don't know what's happening and I am under no obligation to believe the official story from the OCA hierarchy.

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : Metropolitan Jonah placed on \"leave of absence\"

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:14:08 +0000

Dear Father Nectarios, I am sorry if I offended you and your jurisdiction. It seems, dear Father, that you think we wrote the article. We did not, nor did we put up the full article. So it was not our "speculation", but that of a news source we have relied on previously on World Orthodoxy with good result. Simply put, www.ocanews.org has been right too many times to not take seriously on the matter. The fact that your complaint matches those of others in the OCA or World Orthodoxy sadly does not help. Unlike Metropolitan Philip, we do not smear and label websites with dissenting views as "pornographic" but take the possibility but take the possibility seriously that they might have something worthwhile to say. And our experience has taught us that when there is already an attempt to tell me "offlist" to be quiet already before a public comment, then there's usually an off handed reason. If this is erroneous information, I will be glad to retract it, as I have in the past. In Christ, Deacon Joseph Suaiden St Eulalia Orthodox Mission Chapel, Yonkers NY Holy Synod of Milan

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : Nativity Epistle: Metropolitan Valentine of Suzdal

Sat, 8 Jan 2011 00:27:40 +0000

This is last year's text. This is the best part of this year's: "In this infinite joy and Radiant day-to-one only want to encourage you. Do not be embarrassed that we have so few, that the Church of our chase, we have no earthly glory and power. Even if you remain in solitude, not departing from the True Church, does not appeal to the brilliance and power of the Moscow Patriarchate and other heretical churches which have fallen away from Orthodoxy into the heresy of ecumenism. We Christians of the last times, not saved by the fact that he healed the sick, or move the mountain, or a gate in the cave and there will be holding an ascetic life. Required of us quite a bit - to survive until the end and did not change the Bride of the Lamb - His virgin Martyr Church, persecuted [by] the modern Herod and Pilate." I think that really speaks to us.

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : \"We will continue to dialogue with the Pope and Islam\"

Mon, 3 Jan 2011 22:46:01 +0000

See above: "No, this man isn't serious. What he does is twisting the facts." No, he's quite serious. Since this has been a hallmark of his primacy, I am sure he is quite serious. As to your second comment, I am sorry to say, but considering the Old Calendarists have been around for 80 years, the only way to fully interpret you as sympathetic to the "original cause" is, we'd have to assume, the decade or so they were without Bishops, being martyred and imprisoned with very limited possibilities for self-preservation. God allowed that the people be given Bishops. If that is the "beginning of the end" for you, then we must assume that you could only feel sympathy for a movement with either limited chances of survival or survival in a radically different form, such as the Old Believers. I didn't bring up the issue of "sympathy" to begin with-- you did. Your subsequent comment indicated that True Orthodox are in some way focused in the hate of men, rather than the love of God. One can assume that you are historically splitting the movement from a "sympathetic" period to a "non-sympathetic" period. Based on my reading of history, there is no way you could make that claim with any serious consistency.

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : \"We will continue to dialogue with the Pope and Islam\"

Mon, 3 Jan 2011 13:12:34 +0000

The truth requires you to make judgments of conscience. If you don't the reason is either (a) you see no need to make such judgments regardless of the situation, in which case your faith is academic or (b) you do not think the situation requires a judgment, in which case you do not believe that there is a problem-- in which case you may as well agree with the Patriarch anyway. Even if he is spouting heresy, it would appear you don't care. And yes, you are trying to "sound brave" if you refuse alternatives on the basis of "being cowardly". People died to protect their faith under the True Orthodox. Your option, standing there while your church whittles itself away to heresy, is far more cowardly than you think.

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : \"We will continue to dialogue with the Pope and Islam\"

Mon, 3 Jan 2011 13:07:49 +0000

"You have quite a lot of nerve to speak with such a tone to someone you don't even know. As much as I disagree with the EP, this will not make me join one of these self-ordaining pseudo-churches." I have a lot of nerve? You're here propagandizing for the EP, pretending he didn't say things he did, and then he didn't mean them? Then you decide to tell the general editor of this site and, as you put it, "someone claiming to be clergy", that I have a lot of nerve for saying something I've been saying for years? "Like I have said in other comments, I have strong sympathy for the original Old-calendarist cause." Nothing strikes me more as a pet peeve than people who say they are sympathetic to something when in fact they aren't. True Orthodox will exist whether or not you have good will towards them. We are not here because we want your sympathy but God's. Finally, I didn't say you make a fool of yourself. I said you had a choice. What we do has consequences. Whether you want to make a fool of yourself is up to you. Don't blame the messenger because the message upsets you. And for the record, Old Calendarists aren't self-ordained. They are ordained by other Old Calendarists. :)

Breitbart.tv : Liberal Star Blogger Ezra Klein: Constitution 'Has No Binding Power on Anything'; Confusing Because

Sat, 1 Jan 2011 19:36:25 +0000

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Poor Ezra can't read the constitution because it's hard to understand. Who wants to chip in for a copy of "Hooked on Phonics" and a dictionary.

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : \"We will continue to dialogue with the Pope and Islam\"

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 23:16:09 +0000

Oh, he's quite serious. You don't call a press conference to make a joke. He's your Ecumenical Patriarch, and in this very exchange, refers to those who disagree with him as extremists, and borderline heretics. Staying under him would of necessity imply you agree with him. You have a choice. Join with Orthodox Bishops preaching the truth, as the canons require of all of us, or believe that the man you are under is preaching the truth. Anything else is stupid and a pretense of a power this man doesn't and never did have. Orthodox have no infallible Pope we must be in communion with. We simply have to be under True Bishops preaching the truth. There are many still. You can either join them, and do your part to preach Orthodoxy, or stay with the innovators, and knowing what you know, make a fool of yourself. As I say often, God is not mocked.

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : \"We will continue to dialogue with the Pope and Islam\"

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 23:11:57 +0000

Getting out is a "cowardly way"? Tolerating heresy is a "cowardly way"? Maybe you think you sound brave. You don't. What you are saying is the brave thing to do is put up with heresy, say "here is the Church". Lying to yourself isn't brave. Pretending heresy isn't heresy isn't brave. It's foolish. Why would anyone join the Church at all then? They could just "fight for the Orthodox truth" in whatever religion they are. I am sure Patriarch Bartholomew would support your goal.

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : Nationalist Chaos in Rostov-on-Don spreads to Moscow

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 23:08:40 +0000

"As I well know"? I am sorry, but I have no words for this. You are (a) minimizing some historical facts you mention as if they happen all the time and (b) denying Stalin's active role in the creation of the MP. There are even MP writers who (disparagingly) write about Stalin's creation of the MP. Stalin and Tuchkov were both active in the selection of the "clergy" of the new organization, made up of a few fallen Bishops who had already gone into schism and made up a "Patriarchate" by fiat of an anti-christian government. There is no way to call such an organization "the Church". A good short summary is here. http://roacusa.org/ROCA-MP-History.html

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : Father Vladimir Anderson ( 2010)

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 20:48:53 +0000

As I understand it, he became injured in October, and when his family entered his treatment, they cut off all communications with the ROCOR-A. This may or may not be the truth. I simply don't know, but I do know such things have happened before, and it would seem a massive and bizarre shift to make within two months of a crippling injury and cut off from communication with members of your Church. I simply will make no further assumptions and say it sounds fishy enough to issue a general warning to make sure you have a will in place at all times.

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : Father Vladimir Anderson ( 2010)

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 20:45:43 +0000

To be frank, I don't know personally, and I don't have any interest in pursuing further. There is unfortunately some clique in the ROCOR-A (made up of a few disgruntled laypeople) trying to control the information flow to the public, and frankly they know a good deal more that they are stating in other places. They refuse to post here since they believe I am an "enemy" because I believe in True Orthodox dialogue and have actively attacked me for no good reason. I am sure that people who want to find out what happened to Fr Vladimir can. I will not recommend asking those specific people, because at this point they are behaving like cultists and I am frankly sick of putting up with them to get information. They are more than welcome to post here, but since we are "bad", chances are that we will not see that happen. I hope ROCOR-A will realize eventually that these people are actively working against stated goals of their Bishops and censure them. The alternative will be that people will eventually become convinced they are in fact blessed to act as their representatives. Certainly I am starting to wonder. I only stated what happened, and based on what I have read and personal experience, I publicly recommend to all True Orthodox to prepare a will and leave it with trusted friends or a lawyer if you can afford one to make sure your wishes are carried out. Let this be a lesson to us all.

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : Father Vladimir Anderson ( 2010)

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:52:16 +0000

Is that really the case? Were Matushka Sylvia and Serge also members of the ROCOR-A, or did Fr Vladimir go by himself? As I understand it, they had both already been members of the OCA for a long time. At least that's my understanding. I can say that while my I trust my wife-- who would never go to World Orthodoxy-- to make my final arrangements, there is not a single other member of my family I would to do so, which is why I sent my last will and testament clearly stating that I will not be buried in any World Orthodox Church, nor do I wish to have I have any such clergy preside at my funeral-- if circumstances happen that no Traditional Orthodox priest can do so, let a layperson read psalms. Let this serve as public notice as well. As your comments on our last story imply political motivation on our part, I will simply assume this humble suggestion of your has at least a similar tint.

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : Nationalist Chaos in Rostov-on-Don spreads to Moscow

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 03:17:10 +0000

How's this? http://westernandorthodox.blogspot.com/2010/12/fr...

NFTU: True Orthodox / Ecumenism News : Nationalist Chaos in Rostov-on-Don spreads to Moscow

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:15:05 +0000

Well, to be honest, I think this is moving to a discussion of race, and if you want, I'd be glad to move this over to the NFTU forum, or to Reredos, which is my own site where I can really discuss anything I want freely-- and this is a topic on which I do have a great deal to say. However, the central point made here-- that the MP's complicity in the Soviet crimes is largely to blame, I think, has been sufficiently made. But the discussion of race is just marginally of importance to the story. I will only point out one or two things that I would respond to here. The first is that I don't subscribe to a concept of "colored" peoples-- there are too many anomalies to take it seriously (light-skinned Indians and Asians indiscernable from whites, white cultures that were very dark, et cetera). It's convenient, but misleading. As a Christian clergyman, I find it repugnant to view any human being as anything other than-- regardless of certain "educated" opinions of their relative intelligence, et cetera ("The Bell Curve" comes to mind)-- sons of the Most High God. It is illusory to think that this is a division between "cultured" and "primitives", for it is God who gave the educated cultures their culture, and they have turned on God. From my perspective, whatever race such a traitor to the Lord God may be, he will eventually revert to a primitive state of behavior. The second is that from the perspective of the Fathers, a good number of these concepts adhered to by the nationalists are somewhat irrelevant, although they are important to some clergy for deeper reasons. Can the globalists achieve the creation of the kingdom of antichrist without what is being referred to here as race-mixing? Of course, and they know that. But the key is the destruction of traditional morality and culture, and so in my opinion race-mixing is motivated on that basis. If all these cultures were Christian cultures, they would move on to a different method. As the nationalist movement is in some corners almost devoid of morality (with "the ends justify the means" being uttered often in its most extreme forms) the globalists have already won in that sense. The greatest proof of this is the fact that most of the lashing out towards such a concept of "race-mixing" inevitably is directed towards fellow victims of globalist conspiracies against national sovereignty (those who simply followed what they thought was what society wanted) rather than the perpetrators. That's all I had to say here, and if you wish to continue the discussion, let me know. I'd gladly open a forum to discuss it.