James, have you considered the Pharisees? They certainly seemed to be quite pious, but Christ says that if you are only as righteous as one, you're damned. I just recently finished reading the book Light in the Darkness, which is a compilation of writings by Sergei Fudel. Fudel lived over half of his life in Soviet prisons, because of his faith. However, throughout the book, he is scathing in regard to the false piety of many, many Russians he knew - both before and after the Communists took over Russia. He repeatedly has passages condemning an outward piety that is without an inward piety. He writes that he would rather throw out the icons and prostrations and other such things, if people would just be inwardly pious. He writes about how so many Russians practice the things you "have to do" simply because they feel that they have to and if they do, they will go to Heaven. He even writes about priests who had no faith, at all, in God, who were atheists, yet prided themselves on being able to perform the services of the Church perfectly, according entirely to the rubrics.
Outward signs mean NOTHING without a true, inward piety. If you are not truly repentant, you are damned whether or not you appear to be spiritual, whether or not you appear to be faithful, whether or not you follow the rules and regulations of the Typicon, to the tee. So, if you don't have true faith, true unadulterated Orthodox faith, free of superstition, what does it matter if you follow the rubrics? You may as well not even come to Church, you may as well eat five pounds of beef every day of Lent, you may as well spit on your priests and bishops, because you have no life in you.
Do not worry so much about outward appearances, worry far more about the state of your soul.
