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Augustine
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« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2005, 01:14:47 PM » |
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"Betrayed"
I'm sorry to hear about your bad circumstances. Yes, there are rotten Priests. Given human nature, I'd be delightfully suprised if this were not the case. But then again, there are also rotten doctors - I'd be willing to guess in proportion, more so, in comparison to Priests. Yet, will you avoid doctors under all circumstances because of this? Were you injured, would you prefer instead to go to some witchdoctor, instead of a genuine physician, because you had a bad run in with one in times past? Indeed, there are some people who come to loath doctors because of a bad experience - but generally they are not so sweeping in their disdain of doctors, as are those who have had problem with someone who is supposed to be a spiritual-doctor.
Why is this? I think it's in part, becuase the matters of the soul are more central and delicate to our being than those of the body - thus when this has been betrayed through quackery or self interest, the hurt this causes also runs deeper. There are other possible reasons, but I think this is the basic one, and common to those who have these unfortunate experiences.
One thing everyone needs to keep in mind, when we see other Orthodox Christians behaving badly (in particular clergy, for there is more scandal in this), is that we are all sinners struggling against the conditions of our birth. What fundamentally separates our condition from that of our first parents, is that we are not in peace and goodness "by default." We emerge from the womb kicking and screaming, cold and fragile. Watch small children - while we love them because they are in so many ways naive and all things are new for them (and we find this adorable - for this is as close as unredeemed nature comes to "innocence"), they're also a lesson in original sin - they are often aggressive and selfish, and downright inconsiderate of others...unless they are formed to be otherwise by a good upbringing and discipline. What is my point? That from the time we are little, we are struggling (often with the help of others) against that which in this present age seems natural - simply put, struggling against the inclination to be wicked.
In summary: when a Christian sins he is acting like the world. We should not attribute this to Christ, or to the Christian struggle. If anything, such lapses (or worse yet, deliberate descents into corruption and impiety) are evidence of a lack of observance, and an imperfect (perhaps far from perfect!) adhesion to Christian principles. IN some wise this is something we all struggle with, in big ways and small ones - some worse, some better than others.
Now, how fair is to to blame Christ, or to reject the precious gifts of His Holy Mysteries and His Church (which yes has men as members, but is more than just those men - it is His very Body, with Him as the Head, and composed not only of those on earth, but also of Saints who would never betray anyone, let alone a fellow Christian), because someone refuses to listen to Him, and be faithful to His example? I don't think that's fair at all. And is that not why we are Orthodox Christians? Not to make mom and dad happy, or to be "good Greeks" or "good Serbs" or what have you...but rather, because we love Christ and want His gifts of salvation? Indeed, is there any good reason to be an Orthodox Christian besides this?
As hurt as you may be right now (I have no doubt you're upset, and perhaps with very good reason), apostacy is not the answer.
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