O.N.E. OPINION: Some answers to tough questions
(In the March 1998 issue of O.N.E., we printed some e-questions from a "seeker," reluctant to come to Orthodoxy because of some behaviors she witnessed in her local parish. The following was received from a member of the Diocese of New England who wishes to remain anonymous.)
Well, she sure offered up a thought-provoking question. I'm glad she shared these troubling e-mails with us, because we Orthodox need to ponder such painful realities.
Anyway, here is how I'd try to answer some of the questions which came up:
Just yesterday I came across the epistle reading from Philippians 4:8, one of my very favorite:
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
Ultimately, that is our task, when we stand before God and participate in the liturgy to try to notice and "think about" all the best, rather than all the worst aspects of what surrounds us. Because of this, I like to stand near the front of the church, so that I am not as tempted to pay attention to the behaviors and comings and goings of other parishioners.
Whenever they come in or however their children behave, or however inattentive
I am we are a community. We are each and all God's creation, and all
equally loved by God. And each in his and her own way, we are all on the
all-important path to salvation. Nothing else should matter as we
participate in the Liturgy.
Having said that, I must also say that I know how important it is to have a sense of community within a parish: to be able to share one's faith and spiritual struggles and joys. I have been in a parish where I found this impossible to do where I was unable to do what Paul asks of us in Philippians. The "political" and non-spiritual issues in the parish felt overwhelming to me. I had to change parishes. So I understand that there are limits beyond which it is just too hard to practice one's faith in a community. I'm sure that unfortunately this sometimes happens in non-Orthodox parishes too.
Some of the behaviors you described [in the first e-mail] were truly shocking to me, and I would like to assure you that not all Orthodox parishes have such problematic behaviors and attitudes. If the parishes within driving distance from you are all of the kind you describe, this is a major stumbling block for you. It sounds like your question is, "What's better: remaining in my non-Orthodox, but spiritually supportive and God-fearing parish (and remaining a "frustrated Protestant"), or converting to Orthodoxy and joining an Orthodox parish where many of the people's attitudes distract and distress you? No one can answer that question for you. May the difficult process of reflection that leads to your decision at the same time help you in your spiritual growth.
In the second e-mail there was a question about the lack of "verification" of the life-giving qualities of the sacraments in such a parish. We pray before communion that our participation be "neither unto judgment nor unto condemnation, but to the healing of soul and body." There is nothing magical in the chalice; this prayer indicates that partaking can even have a condemning rather than a healing effect. Participating in the sacraments must be prayerful, with a deep awareness of the awesomeness of what we are approaching communion is "a coal that burns the unworthy" rather than an elixir which automatically makes us good. There are some wonderful books you can read, by Father Alexander Schmemann, for example, which can give you a richer understanding of the role of communion, and liturgy itself, in one's salvation.
The "fallen" behaviors you describe don't speak badly of the Orthodox Church, but they sure indicate to me how much I need to pray for the Orthodox people.
With love in Christ,
A faithful member
O.N.E. OPINION: A pastor's response
by Father John Dresko
The questions asked in the original e-mails bordered on accusations rather than serious questions: "How can Protestants like me, who come from churches with well-behaved children, a reverence for worship, a vast storehouse of memorized Scripture, and many hours of Bible Study under our belts learn to appreciate the Biblically-ignorant, haphazard, attention-deficit-disordered type of worship that Orthodoxy so often exhibits?"
One of the big problems with the Church is that it is a divine institution populated, organized, and even run by human beings who are fallen, sinful creatures. Is there a parish anywhere of any Christian denomination (or, for that matter, any other faith) that is filled only with well-behaved children, etc.? Being composed of humans guarantees a certain amount of chaos in community life. My hunch is that any place with no chaos whatsoever also has no life.
I served as an Air Force chaplain on a staff of 23 chaplains of various faith groups. One thing that we all had in common were the "war stories" from parishes we shared. Everyone had the same characters and situations in their own parish experience, no matter the faith group. In other words, Orthodox were no worse (or better) than Baptists, Roman Catholics, Methodists, etc. People are people, sin is sin. The real questions are "what is the content of the Church, what is Truth, and where has Christ revealed the fullness of that Truth?" The answer, to each, is the Orthodox Church.
Our faithful member quotes from the passage in Philippians that is read on Palm Sunday. Is it a coincidence that as we glorify Christ the King just before witnessing His journey to Golgotha we hear these words? It is only in the Church given to us by the risen Christ that "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise" exists and is found, to those "who have eyes to see and ears to hear."
One of the temptations that we face as we ponder the question of whether
or not to convert (and
everyone must answer that question even those originally baptized
in the Orthodox Church) is to reduce the decision to a rational one. To
be sure, there are rational, measurable "things" an Orthodox Christian
must know, such as the Scriptures, Church Doctrines, etc. But first and
foremost, the conversion process must take place in the heart and soul.
The poser of these questions also quickly sizes up the Orthodox she has met: "If the sacraments are so central and powerful and important, then why aren't the people who regularly partake of them more godly and Christ-like?" "Many of the Orthodox are raising their children in public schools, and aren't aware of moral issues in politics, allow unlimited TV time in their families, and are pretty status quo in the decadent culture that surrounds them." "So how can I entice my husband to look into a church that externally appears to be clueless in applying what they believe to their daily lives when we are in a church that is far beyond that in living a disciplined Christian life?"
We Orthodox Christians face a real dilemma with indictments like the above. On the one hand, there are real truths in the indictments. We know far too many Orthodox Christians who are "cultural christians," knowing little of their faith and practicing even less. Fasting, prayer, good works, almsgiving and liturgical life often seem to be little more than "academic" issues to be discussed and taught, but lived nowhere other than monasteries.
On the other hand, Orthodoxy faces a real crisis from right-wing, fundamentalist thinking, whether officially converted to the Church or not. We have many, in and out of the Church, who equate Orthodoxy (or faith in general) with making the right number of prostrations, growing the right length beard, fasting from the proper foods, having the most complete services, etc. Those with this type of church-view see heretics everywhere, including many priests and bishops. We even have priests rebaptizing people who aren't "Orthodox" enough!
This mentality is reflected in the comments above about public schools, television, etc. Such fundamentalist thinking also provides simple solutions: homeschooling, no television, etc., means you are a good Christian.
If anyone is coming to Orthodoxy to escape the world, they are making a grave mistake. Orthodoxy has never told anyone, even monastics, to escape the world. Rather, the Church, throughout history, has existed to transform the world and Christianize culture. Monastics leave the world, but their vocation is to pray and intercede for the world and those still in it.
Everyone else is called to work out the practice of their faith in the context of their life in this world. In my opinion, the answer is not homeschooling, no television, etc., but a realistic Church providing a realistic Church life to those living in the world. Pseudo-monasticism (many times called "traditional" Orthodoxy) rammed down the throat of those who would become Orthodox is not the answer. I am reminded of the fools-for-Christ, who would exhibit behaviors for the "pious" of the day not recommended by the Church (for example, sitting in front of the cathedral on Holy Friday eating sausage as the people streamed into the church) to simply show them how fake and hypocritical they were.
So how would a pastor answer those "tough" questions? First, if the behaviors noted were true, I would apologize to the seeker. But then, I would find out what she was really seeking: the Truth of Christ or a parish community reflecting what she thinks the Church should be. Such an ideally behaved community does not exist, not even in the Orthodox Church.
It is unfortunate, but the reality of the matter is that parish life, and ultimately our own spiritual life, if it is real, very often has a "lived in" look and feel to it. What do I say about that? Welcome to my house!