“You got unrighteous doctors dealing drugs that will never cure your ills … when you ganna wake up ….” Bob Dylan.
“Christianity must remain eternally unchanging, in no way being dependent on or guided by the spirit of each age. Instead, Christianity is meant to govern and direct the spirit of the age for anyone who obeys its teachings” St. Theophan the Recluse.
For a Christian, is there an aspect of life that is outside of the realm of Christian teaching and theology? Is there some topic or area of life which we may say, “sorry, Christianity has nothing to offer here whatsoever.”
If, as St. Theophan teaches, true Christianity is “meant to govern and direct the spirit of the age for anyone who obeys its teachings,” it seems implied thereby that true Christianity has something to say and offer with regard to every aspect of human life. How else could it “govern and guide”?
Is there a sphere of life, such as science and medicine, into which Christianity is not suited to interject? For it seems that some in Christianity give such an impression.
Further, is it possible to have ethical science and medicine outside of the belief in morals and God? Are science and medicine innately moral? Or must they be guided by higher, eternal, principles; speaking from a Christian stand point – Christian principles? May aspects of science and medicine be used for evil? Indeed, it seems they may, if the past century has anything to teach us.
I ponder this because I have encountered from a few Christian sources the postulation that the current question of the C-19 “vaccine” is outside the realm of theology. If it is outside, then Christianity has nothing to offer on the subject, and therefore there is some aspect of life which is outside of the governing principles of Christianity.
But is that so? Now, I’ll reiterate, on an extremely basic level the idea of a vaccine is not wrong. As I’ve stated in the past, I’m not anti-vaccine. Although I’m very much pro vaccine (and generally speaking medical) accountability and ethical implementation of medical practice and science (I’m able to speak of ethics because I believe in a system that has ethics, unlike most of those of the secular mind today).
Now that the current “life saving” vaccines have emerged and are in use, it, I believe, behooves us as Christians to continue to ask some very serious questions. I covered the topic of the vaccine, as it was still in development, and even contemplated some words from respected Orthodox elders on the subject, in a past post, The Modern Vaccine Agenda. If the reader has yet to read that article, it may be of interest.
So, if I take at its word some of what I hear coming from certain sectors of Christianity, it seems implied that Christianity has nothing to say about the ethical concerns and fact that the current vaccines were rushed and moreover utilize untested technologies?
The point is not whether or not someone is going to grow horns right after receiving the prescribed dosages, the concern should be for the many ethical and moral issues that are inextricably bound up with these novel vaccines.
Should we raise no concerns regarding the fact that the pharmaceutical companies that created them are totally exempt from all liability, and even the effects that may well be only revealed in coming years? Effects, in the long term, which are unknown in their scope. Effects that could be terrible.
The C-19 vaccine has been approved for “emergency use.” This simply means the usual requirements for safety testing and trials have been waved so that the vaccines may be used immediately. This indicates that the general public is to a large degree the testing ground for the novel vaccines. Even the FDA clearly notes, “The Moderna C-19 vaccine is an unapproved vaccine that may prevent C-19. There is no FDA approved vaccine to prevent C-19″ (emphasis added). In other words, it is experimental and unapproved.
Does the Christian church have anything to say about using the general public as experiments for not fully tested medical technologies? Or governments pressuring or potentially forcing populations to receive experimental “medicine”?
Should the underlying philosophies of many of the driving forces behind the current vaccines be of concern to faithful Christians? Most of all in light of the fact that many of these powers have clear anti-christian agendas? I touch on this in more depth in my earlier post, The Masters of Death are Now the Ministers of Life?
In a very real sense the current C-19 vaccines are not traditional vaccines at all. In fact, they may be classified as a type of gene therapy. Generally speaking, traditional vaccines use attenuated or live viruses, and the current so called “vaccines” do not. They utilize a novel and experimental, that is to this point never used on general populations, mRNA delivery systems.
As one forthright medical professional explains, “The problem is that in the case of Moderna and Pfizer, this is not a vaccine. This is gene therapy,” he continued. The Moderna and Pfizer creations send “a strand of synthetic RNA into the human being and is invoking within the human being the creation of the S1 spike protein, which is a pathogen.”
Should we be concerned about the potentially harmful effects of the created spike proteins, which some medical professionals have indicated could in the long-term be very harmful?
I’m not able to at current explore the history of gene therapy and related delivery systems but I would encourage the reader to do so. I have spoken with a few medical professionals about this topic and most confirm that indeed the current “vaccine” is truly a novel form of “therapy.” It is not truly a vaccine in the standard sense of the word. And it seems somewhat deceptive by the powers that be to call it such.
Does Christianity have nothing to say about tampering with human RNA, which then opens the possibility to dangerously altering DNA expression? Is this okay as long as it is done in the name of “science”? What will be the results of opening the door – even a tiny crack – to tampering with human genes and related systems?
Further, does Christianity have nothing to say about the use of aborted baby cells in the development of medicine? Is abortion okay if the results are used for some purportedly “profitable” aim?
Both current “vaccines” in use (in American), Pfizer and Moderna, have utilized at some point in their research and development processes aborted baby cells.
The National Review (NR) even explains, First, it’s important to identify the provenance of the cells used in testing. In the case of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, it was HEK 293 kidney cells that were used. These are believed to have originated with an abortion, but note my use of the singular. HEK 293s are not continuously gathered as more abortions are performed. They were originally gleaned from a 1973 procedure in the Netherlands and have since been reproduced in labs for various research purposes.
The NR clearly states that the cells utilized originate from an aborted child (I use them as a “secular” witness). Of course, for the NR the fact that the cells originated from an aborted baby and have been “reproduced” since then is no big deal. I wonder if they would make the same argument if the cells came from people murdered in concentration death camps of the past. If the cells only originate from an evil act and have since be “reproduced” that makes it just fine? So medical practices are fine if the ends justify the means? If the “means” of death and evil must be used to develop the “ends” of “life-saving” medicine that is acceptable? What does Christian theology have to say?
Elaborating on the question of aborted baby cell lines and their development, one expert, a Dr. Acker, interviewed by Life Site News asserts, “Acker speaks about her research into the HEK-293 cell line specifically, and talks about the number that’s at the end of that cell line name. ‘HEK’ stands for Human Embryonic Kidney and the ‘293’ actually reveals the number of experiments that a specific researcher did to develop that cell line. It doesn’t mean there were two hundred and ninety-three abortions, but for two hundred and ninety-three experiments, you would certainly need far more than one abortion. We’re talking probably hundreds of abortions,’ Acker shares.”
Ah, so it is completely possible that hundreds of abortions are at the foundation of the current “vaccines”! But that is okay because it is said to be “life-saving”? Is this morally acceptable for Christians? Should Christian conscience be fine with this?
It is worth noting on the side that aborted baby cell lines are commonly used in the general vaccine industry. They have been used in the creation of numerous vaccines against, for example, rubella, rabies, polio, measles, chickenpox and shingles.
I wonder, does Christianity have nothing to say regarding the use of aborted baby cells in medicine, the current C-19 “vaccine” and beyond?
The above mentioned Dr. Acker in the quoted article also points out that when cell tissues are harvested the babies are still alive. Most were born via cesarean section and their hearts were still beating as tissues were harvested.
I wounder if Christianity has anything to say about such barbaric practices? May I receive a “life saving” medicine that utilized death and murder as part of its development?
Are we as Christians able to participate in even a supposedly “profitable” medicine that was developed through such inhuman methods? Can a “vaccine” be “good” that has clear traceable links to morally reprehensible practices? What does Christianity have to say on this matter?
Is it acceptable to the Christian conscience to use medicine that was developed on aborted baby cells as long as the child was aborted years and years ago? Morally, is there a qualitative difference between an abortion 40 years ago as opposed to yesterday?
Since the release of the “vaccine” in the U.S. alone over 600 deaths have been reported and over 12,000 injuries as a result of vaccination. Is it acceptable for people to die or be injured from a vaccine but not a virus? If, as some seem to emphasize, keeping people physically safe is of utmost importance right now, should we deem the vaccines wrong because physical death has resulted from them? Or are these deaths somehow acceptable? If so then do we believe that some must die for a purported “greater good”?
If the “vaccine” is promoted by some in Christianity as a clear “hope” and a person receives it due to that message and then possibly receives injury or death (for clearly the possibility is there), is the one who gave the message promoting reception of the “vaccine” liable for death or injury? I wonder, for I have seen the idea promoted in Christian spheres that if someone contracts C-19 in church and dies from it, and proper “precautions” were not followed, then a minister could be held accountable for that death. It would seem to me that if one takes the latter “logic” as consistent then the former is also.
Does Christianity have nothing to say about “vaccines” that have caused death and injury?
If the primary goal at current, as it seems some are still promoting, is to avoid physical harm and death, then what does Christianity have to say with regard to the sharp rise of suicide deaths which are directly related to C-19 “health mandates” and such? Should we be concerned that youth and teens are of the highest rates? Are suicide deaths acceptable but deaths from the virus are not? What does Christianity have to say about the effect of C-19 mandates in regard to death by suicide? Are such mandates then actually keeping people safe?
Some in Christian spheres have promulgated the notion that the “vaccine” is a question that must only be resolved between a person and his medical provider. Thus, clergy should say nothing on the matter because it has to do with “medicine” and a personal choice in consultation with a medical practitioner. I find this interesting because clergy in many areas have been commanded to implement strict “health mandates” in churches in the name of health and safety for parishioners. They have been ordered in some places to actively promote masks, social distancing, and related things. If as alleged, Christianity has nothing to offer in the way of advice for or against a “vaccine,” because it is a personal health issue, why then has it, for almost the past year, in numerous places, been such an avid promoter of certain “health mandates?” If a “vaccine” is a matter which must remain a personal choice between a person and his health provider, then other “health issues” such as masks and social distancing should be also, and accordingly, churches and their leadership should also make no statements on these health matters whatsoever.
Why have some in Christendom been willing to make strong and imperative mandates about certain “health” practices, for the safety and well-being of all, and now when it comes to a vaccine it is a “personal” matter between a person and his medical provider? Does or does not Christianity have a voice on medical issues? I’m somewhat confused.
And if some in certain sectors have forced certain “health mandates” up until now, will they find it reasonable to force a “vaccine” in the name of keeping people bodily safe? What does Christianity have to say about human freedom?
What does Christian theology have to say about the well know recommendations from numerous government powers and corporations to track and trace populations? And the use of the C-19 virus as an excuse and means to attempt to implement such measures? What does Christianity have to say with regard to forced and coerced vaccinations and technocratic means of population control?
In this post I have only but touched lightly on a number of issues that are directly intertwined with the current “vaccines.” Are these issues outside the sphere of Christian Theology? Have we nothing to say and offer the world around us?
Does Christian theology have nothing to say about abortion, experimental medicine, human freedom and conscience, government overreach, and so forth?
It is my firm conviction that the issues brought up in this post are all well within the realm of Christian Theology. Indeed, True Christianity has much to say on them. It is my hope that as Christians we will indeed ask the difficult questions and search for the true Christian response. My dear readers, please weigh most seriously the current situations in light of the Holy Teachings and Life of the Church. She indeed has something to say, She indeed, is the prophetic voice in the wilderness calling to all who have ears to hear. She, indeed, has been faithfully guided by the Holy Spirit, let us hearken to Christ our Lord in Her above all else. For all of us can only be obedient to the Truth of Christ our Lord.
I do not need to be a medical “expert” to speak on topics that clearly involve morals and ethics. Such things are well within the sphere of Christian Theology. Indeed, Christianity is bound to speak the truth most of all when in the name of beneficial things like science and medicine very questionable methods and philosophies are being utilized.
I believe that every issue and aspect of life, even those of science, medicine, and vaccines, may and should be evaluated and discerned in the Light of Christian Revelation, most of all for anyone who obeys its teachings.
addendum, 3/27/21 – Please see the short post “mRNA – the instillation of a biological “operating system,” in which I direct the reader to, among other things, a source directly from Moderna which clearly states certain functions and goals of current experimental “vaxxines.” Those who claim that current mRNA injections are no different from “traditional” vaxxines are misinformed.
The Inkless Pen 
Excellent commentary! I’ve been asking the very same questions.
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Axios Father! Both the COVID “vaccines” (novel gene therapies) and novel monoclonal antibodies treatments are EUA: emergency use authorized. They are not licensed and the clinical trial is now on the general population. EUA is theoretically only allowed when there are no viable alternatives. And yet there are! Ones using safe, generic (cheap), repurposed medications whose side effects have been known for decades. Only with these can there by true “informed consent” because we know enough to predict how they will affect a person’s health. Not true of the novel gene “vaccines’ and monoclonal antibody therapy. Why are the early at home treatment protocols using these safe meds and supplements NOT publicized? Financial drivers. Big Pharma (and their associates) make billions of dollars on these expensive new modalities with no downside since no liabilities, as you point out Father. And the safe generic inexpensive repurposed medicines? No financial incentive to study them at all.
What is sacrificed which was sacrosanct in medicine until last year?
1. Informed consent: physicians are supposed to explain all the information about their recommended treatment AND information about all alternatives.
2. Risk benefit analysis: physicians are supposed to make one and offer that to patients. But even pro-vaccine folks have to say, “well we just really don’t know enough yet about COVID or about the vaccines yet” to say. WOW!
3. Do no harm: There is no way a physician can say this now. Early treatment of COVID at home begins day 1, when the infection can be killed off by the protocols. Without this occurring right away, the risk to the vulnerable goes up as the damage beings internally. By day 7 as symptoms get frightening, the ER may see them and then decide whether they should go home on nothing or be offered a clinical trial of a monoclonal antibody (which some won’t get by definition) after their symptoms have worsened appreciatively. In that 5 to 7 days, the body is being harmed! After the monoclonal antibody is given, we don’t know yet what happens. Vaccines may be harmful themselves, we don’t know but there is indication that they are theoretically and in practice harmful.
So you are a person at home afraid of having to go to the hospital but you call your doctor who says we are not allowed to give you anything (due to our ignorance or fear of the hospital policy or fear of being labeled by other medical professionals as unorthodox or “controversial.”
Isn’t God gracious to have given us altruistic, compassionate, smart and hard-working physicians such as those who have banded together worldwide to give us effective early treatments, being most heavily censored and ridiculed in the United States above all? Find out about their protocols and see them in action on the floor of the US Senate and find physicians online or in your town who will help you before day 1 (with prevention) or from day 1 on with COVID symptoms by going to https://aapsonline.org and finding the COVID patient handbook to understand how the virus causing COVID disease works and what to do about it, links to protocols and to physicians who are used to treating COVID patients successfully at home EARLY in infection.
The US Catholic bishops state they are making a painful exception to avoidance of fetal cell line use because there are no alternatives! There is a simple cheap efficient safe path. Any who love the poor, the elderly, the vulnerable, the immunocompromised should want and demand that become the FIRST line of treatment. IF we have an effective treatment and IF our physicians and institutions care about us rather than Big Pharma profits, would a novel possibly dangerous vaccine be needed at all?
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Thank you so much for sharing this very important information!
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Very well written dear sir! Please pray for me because I am struggling with rage at our so-called leadership for shutting down such questioning and allowing what is clearly an anti-Christian agenda to be promoted even within the Church. Kyrie eleison!
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Father, bless. Thank you for these far-from-rhetorical questions. Here is my response to some of them:
1 For a Christian, is there an aspect of life that is outside of the realm of Christian teaching and theology?
No.
2. Is there some topic or area of life which we may say, “sorry, Christianity has nothing to offer here whatsoever.”
No.
3.If, as St. Theophan teaches, true Christianity is “meant to govern and direct the spirit of the age for anyone who obeys its teachings,” it seems implied thereby that true Christianity has something to say and offer with regard to every aspect of human life. How else could it “govern and guide”
It couldn’t.
4. Is there a sphere of life, such as science and medicine, into which Christianity is not suited to interject?
No, because science and medicine are already in the sphere of Christianity, in the sphere of a Christisn man’s life..
5.Further, is it possible to have ethical science and medicine outside of the belief in morals and God?
No.
6.Are science and medicine innately moral?
Well, yes. Morals are inescapable. It’s just that morals might be good, if they originate from divine inspiration. Or they might not, if they don’t.
7. Or must they be guided by higher, eternal, principles; speaking from a Christian stand point – Christian principles?
Yes.
8. May aspects of science and medicine be used for evil?
Yes.
9.I ponder this because I have encountered from a few Christian sources the postulation that the current question of the C-19 “vaccine” is outside the realm of theology. If it is outside, then Christianity has nothing to offer on the subject, and therefore there is some aspect of life which is outside of the governing principles of Christianity.
No.
10. Should we raise no concerns regarding the fact that the pharmaceutical companies that created them are totally exempt from all liability, and even the effects that may well be only revealed in coming years?
No. We should definitely raise our concerns, to ourselves and to others. However, each man will use his discretion in how, when and to whom he speaks.
11. Does the Christian church have anything to say about using the general public as experiments for not fully tested medical technologies? Or governments pressuring or potentially forcing populations to receive experimental “medicine”?
Yes, but from where can we hear its voice? Our arch-hierarchy seems largely mute on the subject.
12. Should the underlying philosophies of many of the driving forces behind the current vaccines be of concern to faithful Christians?
Yes. It’s important to pay attention and to also keep your spiritual balance at the same time.
13.Should we be concerned about the potentially harmful effects of the created spike proteins, which some medical professionals have indicated could in the long-term be very harmful?
Yes. (Here is yet another, further reason why: http://voxday.blogspot.com/2021/02/marked-for-death.html?m=1)
14. Does Christianity have nothing to say about tampering with human RNA, which then opens the possibility to dangerously altering DNA expression? Is this okay as long as it is done in the name of “science”? What will be the results of opening the door – even a tiny crack – to tampering with human genes and related systems?
Father, even some pagans and atheists, to their credit, rightly oppose the evil Scientism that is in play in this technology.
15. Further, does Christianity have nothing to say about the use of aborted baby cells in the development of medicine? Is abortion okay if the results are used for some purportedly “profitable” aim?
As @Nicole has pointed out in these comments, apparently “painful exceptions” is the code-word for “Yes” to this question. Father, you rightly hammer away at this point. I learnt a lot from the info you presented. Thank you.
16. If the “vaccine” is promoted by some in Christianity as a clear “hope” and a person receives it due to that message and then possibly receives injury or death (for clearly the possibility is there), is the one who gave the message promoting reception of the “vaccine” liable for death or injury?
Yes. Good point.
17. If the primary goal at current, as it seems some are still promoting, is to avoid physical harm and death, then what does Christianity have to say with regard to the sharp rise of suicide deaths which are directly related to C-19 “health mandates” and such? Should we be concerned that youth and teens are of the highest rates?
Yes. Another good point.
18. Why have some in Christendom been willing to make strong and imperative mandates about certain “health” practices, for the safety and well-being of all, and now when it comes to a vaccine it is a “personal” matter between a person and his medical provider? Does or does not Christianity have a voice on medical issues?
It’s the Motte and Bayley Fallacy in play. On the lower, wider, generally undefended, open ground, I say one thing. On the higher, enclosed, fortified, upper ground, I say something else. Wherever you attack me, I will simply oscillate and change my position.
19. And if some in certain sectors have forced certain “health mandates” up until now, will they find it reasonable to force a “vaccine” in the name of keeping people bodily safe? What does Christianity have to say about human freedom?
Force and freedom? Father, to me, this is a really good point.
20. What does Christian theology have to say about the well know recommendations from numerous government powers and corporations to track and trace populations? And the use of the C-19 virus as an excuse and means to attempt to implement such measures? What does Christianity have to say with regard to forced and coerced vaccinations and technocratic means of population control?
Tracking and population control? More good points.
21. In this post I have only but touched lightly on a number of issues that are directly intertwined with the current “vaccines.” Are these issues outside the sphere of Christian Theology? Have we nothing to say and offer the world around us?
Yes. These issues are within the sphere of Christian theology. But I think I remember (maybe from Fr Georges Florovsky?) that the Church concerns itself with Her members only. She does not concern Herself with those outside Her doors. This is a hard saying. I think it means that the Church does not go out into the world: She does not leave Herself. Instead, She invites all to Herself, and Her doors are wide open. I will be misunderstood here by anyone who is thinking of the world as a separate, parallel place outside the Church. That’s not what I mean. Instead of place, I am thinking of the world as a state, a state of darkness, a realm in which our Lord is allowing demonic influence to play. Instead of a Justinian symphony of state-Church relations, my thoughts lead me to pray (as I find in my service books) for the piety of civic authorities, so that any man who holds position as a civic authority might be a good and orthodox Christian, and act as such in his position. In this way, I think my thoughts concur with your opening quote from St Theophan the Recluse.
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Thank you, Father, for your very thoughtful reply! May our Lord grant us wisdom for our times!
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I’m a former molecular biologist. Worked in this field for almost a decade. Recently converted to Orthodox because of the hesychasm and Christ.
Here’s my understanding of the mRNA treatments
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Thank you for contributing to the discussion!
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Hello Kurt, Is your you-tube presentation only a black screen and your voice? I had a black screen for the entire duration. Thank you so very much for sharing.
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Sounds like this isn’t so much a vaccine as an experiment; it answers the question, “Why have this massive medical intervention based on a novel technology for a disease that isn’t very deadly, and why the insistence that everyone receive it?”. It seems to me like what they are looking for is a way to directly reprogram one’s basic personality; perhaps this is a trial of a technique which they expect will eventually allow the State to modify or even annihilate the souls of its citizens. Perhaps the mark spoken of in the Apocalypse is a some kind of a record that this intervention has been received, and without this initiation into the ranks of the Last Men one will be an exile from human society.
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Kurt, I don’t yet understand how these gene-therapies produce disease resistance; is this something you could address succinctly?
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You, sir, lack humility in addressing very complex matters that you do not understand. You lack the mind of the Church. You may be judged for the harm that will result from your vanity. A former parish priest of mine is misguided and sent this to his parish. I am very distressed.
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Thank you for your very humble comment, I will strive to use it as a model for my future humility! I’m in awe at your understanding of person’s heart whom you have never even met! God bless you!
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Dear Vicki Irene,
I am an Orthodox laywoman also and care greatly about being in the Mind of the Church. I am distressed by the distress of any Orthodox person seeking the same of course, so am sorry for your upset.
To understand better, may I ask what you mean by the phrase “mind of the Church” and how you have been taught about it and what are the sources you turn to for developing and deepening that understanding? I ask because I am learning that many of us have been taught quite differently depending on the mindset or spiritual education/enlightenment of our teachers. Thank you in Christ if you wish to reply. And I certainly respect your decision not to do so.
I hope you are warm and have heat wherever you are!
🕊🌱☦️
Nicole
❄️
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Remember Einstein’s assessment: “Scientists are very poor philosophers”.
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The Orthodox World-view by Bl. Fr. seraphim Rose
With such an attitude a view of both the good things and the bad things in the world it is possible
for us to have and to fire an Orthodox world-view, that is, an Orthodox view on the whole of
life, not just on narrow church subjects. There exists a false opinion, which unfortunately is all
too widespread today, that it is enough to have an Orthodoxy that is limited to the church
building and formal “Orthodox” activities, such as praying at certain times or making the sign of
the Cross; in everything else, so this opinion goes, one can be like anyone else, participating in
the life and culture of our times without any problem, as long as we don’t commit sin.
Anyone who has come to realize how deep Orthodoxy is, and how full is the commitment
which is required of the serious Orthodox Christian, and likewise what totalitarian demands the
contemporary world makes on us, will easily see how wrong this opinion is. One is Orthodox all
the time every day, in every situation of life, or one is not really Orthodox at all. Our Orthodoxy
is revealed not just in our strictly religious views, but in everything we do and say. Most of us
are very unaware of the Christian, religious responsibility we have for the seemingly secular
part of our lives.
Follow the Holy Fathers- our True spiritual guides!
Thank you Father Lynch.
Doxa to Theo,
John D.
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Amen! Thank you for these insights!
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Amen John D! A great comfort today by flashlight has been rereading Fr Seraphim’s beautiful compilation of the Holy Fathers views on “Genesis, Creation and Early Man: The Orthodox Christian Vision.” Felt my soul healing from worldly conflicts and temporal distress. Nothing like The Holy Fathers and Holy Scripture as interpreted by them, glory to God!
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I’ve always felt that reading “Genesis, Creation, and Early Man” (1st edition) completed my Orthodox worldview; at that point, it seemed like I shed the last vestiges of my modernist perspective, and everything started clicking into place and becoming a unified whole.
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Beautifully put, Maxim. I can see why. Thank you very much for sharing.
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Reblogged this on Muunyayo and commented:
This is great reading, good stuff 🙋
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I disagree with you on one basic point; I believe vaccination is the point where medicine went wrong. In many ways, though his life transcends this arena, humankind is a part of the ecosphere, and is subject to the laws which govern other creatures. When an event occurs which destroys the ecological balance, a population of wild animals may find itself with no effective check on its numbers, therefore its population increases beyond the capacity of the local environment to sustain it. This is self-correcting, as this produces famine and starvation and an eventual die-off which restores the balance, but it can produce environmental degradation as hungry animals destroy plant life to fill their bellies, and this leads to soil erosion and the resultant incapacity of this environment to support life in anything like the numbers which it did formerly. Overgrazing is a good example of this, as greedy farmers destroy their fields trying to run as many herds on their acreage as possible.
Because of this, human wildlife managers sometimes act to reduce animal populations before they reach the point of catastrophe, and they are right to do so, because Man was meant to rule the animals, and to manage the natural environment. However, it is not right for some men to manage other men in this way. This is what is wrong with the logic of vaccination; though these technologies were invented out of concern for the sick, if one moves to control death, one must also move to control life. We rightly condemn those who endorse abortion and the visionaries who dream of destroying 5/6 of the population, but this is only the flip side of the vaccination weltanshauung; if we are to act to entirely disable the natural agents of death, then we must control and regulate life. Wouldn’t it be better to accept death in God’s time and accept new life always as a joyful event, instead of submitting ourselves to pitiless managers who feel they must maintain an iron control over the gates of life, and believe themselves qualified to speculate on which lives are superior to other lives, and to act to end lives deemed inferior before the moment of birth, and perhaps eventually even afterward? The logic of abortion already consigns the value of a baby’s life to its utility to the parent; how much would you be willing to bet that the value of a person’s life doesn’t eventually come down to that person’s utility to the State, and that the whole foul science of Eugenics will be revived, this time with a transhumanist theme? Isn’t it already apparent that vaccines have put a weapon in the hands of governments which they can use to take control over the minds and souls of their citizens? Wouldn’t it be better for us not to have attained the knowledge of disease transmission than to have it be used to essentially destroy our humanity?
Man is able, due to his God-given intellect, to adapt to population increase as long as it takes place slowly and incrementally, though Malthus was beating the population control drum over a century before the first vaccines arrived. He is even able to devise strategies to support the vast increases of the post-vaccine era, but this is only putting off the inevitable collapse, and when it occurs, it won’t be any ordinary famine, but environmental degradation of apocalyptic proportions. All this has come about because Man refused to live humbly on earth, accepting the natural limitations on his life.
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Yes, I agree very much with you on your point. There is a major problem with the modern theory behind vaccines. At root, basically, is the age-old problem of men trying to play God. I purposely try to circumvent the direct topic of, narrowly speaking, “pro” or “anti” vaccine at current because then one is “labeled” and subsequently disregarded by contending sides. My goal is to encourage people to contemplate the underlying agendas. If people are able to contemplate the philosophical (in the lofty sense of the word) foundations then they will be able to wisely discern the physical manifestations. Personally, there is no modern vaccine that I would want to receive because of the ethics behind much of the research and the fact that many of them are toxic chemical cocktails. Ultimately, I think that in our times “vaccines” have progressed and been co-opted by certain mentalities that have very little to do with the true “health and well-being” of people. As always, thank you for your very thoughtful contributions!
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I see your point; I’m definitely well-established as one of the crazies at this point, and there are definitely people who just stop listening when I start talking. There are just so many things that don’t make sense until you turn a corner of the conceptual terrain; then everything reorients itself, but those on the other side of the divide can’t see your perspective, and when you try to explain it it seems like madness to them. Most of the things I thought of as wild-eyed fanaticism ten years ago have come true at this point; I don’t know whether I would have had the courage to set out on this journey if I had realized how much it was going to separate me from people.
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I feel you and share your experience, my friend. Seeing how this is all playing out, I’m becoming inclined to think maybe the earth is flat after all…there’s the litmus test for “crazy” methinks.
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Maxim I can relate to all and especially to your last sentence. Thankfully my teachers in the Faith in person and books prepared me for me how radically different the Eastern Orthodox understanding and thinking is from the Western mindset and that it would take years of study of the Holy Fathers and participation in the Holy Mysteries to begin to absorb and adjust. Vladika Dmitri said no convert should speak much less write about Orthodoxy for 10 years minimum but just to listen, absorb, learn, participate fully and deferentially, and be changed. So different now. I am encouraged by Orthodox clergy and laityI have met in parishes, Elder Ephraim monasteries, and on blogs who care about the Truth and following the Royal Path in the fully Eastern Orthodox way. When I become discouraged, my SF always reminds me “God plus one is a majority.” The Holy Fathers, Holy Scripture and all the Holy Sacraments in the Calendar year itself help me remember how small in number, unpopular and afflicted Christ and His devoted have usually been. Praying God will give me His strength and courage, surely none of my own.
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Can I ask how long you’ve been Orthodox? Not that it matters. My daughter and I were received Pentecost 1999, so we’re going on 22 years at this point. My daughter is now a nun at St. Paisius Monastery in Safford, Arizona.
Baptism is my most precious memory; I recall it as being bathed in purity, and robed in light like our unfallen ancestors. That didn’t last very long, but I use this memory to set me back on the right way when I am departing from it.
Eventually, unless you are very fortunate, you will meet with some person or event in the Church which will make the whole thing seem like a lie, and then the devil will wrestle with you to try to tear this inheritance away from you. It sounds like you have good advisors, so you should be well-fortified for what is ahead, but I have known people who seemed much better than I who lost their Faith. In the end, for me, it came down to “Where shall I go; here are the words of eternal life”. A temptation for adult converts is to think that they have arrived at heaven on earth, and in a sense it is true, but there are many enemies to contend with, and unfortunately they’re not all outside the walls of the Church.
It is an advantage to be born Orthodox only if you are immersed in its spirit from your earliest days, and carry it forward into adulthood in faith and piety. The advantage we converts have is that we know why we came; the spiritual hungers which our previous religious experiences were unable to satisfy drew us into the Church, and ought to shackle us immovably to Her. I have known people who grew up in the Church who were insensitized by familiarity to the truth and beauty expressed so powerfully by Her to such an extent that they ended up becoming Evangelicals in adulthood because they found it more interesting. The saying “God has no grandchildren” is just as true in Orthodoxy as it is in the Protestant world. Many “Cradle-Orthodox” have no sense of the Church’s true universality, and think of it only as an aspect of their ethnicity, which of course is not Orthodox at all! My brother attended for a time a Greek church which was located at the local “Hellenic Center”; they had some difficulty finding it at first, because there was no mention of a church being on the property. The only reason there was a church on the property at all is that the Church is an aspect of Greek culture. Several times in my sojourns in ethnic churches I have had people ask me “Why are you here”? This was never expressed with hostility, but in genuine puzzlement; why would someone who is not Greek or Russian choose to attend an Orthodox church? This is not to denigrate ethnic Orthodox, because many of them are very faithful, but just to say it’s not so bad being a convert, either. A Russian priest once told me (secretly) that he considered the future of the Church was in the converts. We should not denigrate the influences which made us who we are, but should look back in gratitude and thank God for leading us on this path of Truth; for us, maybe it is the only one that leads to salvation!
The comment about not knowing if I would have had the strength to set out on the journey was not primarily about Orthodoxy, but about when I began to realize the extent which propaganda influences our society; there was a moment when I almost pulled back, because I could see that following this path was going to lead me away from the intellectual community I had been ensconced in from birth. It would have been difficult for me to have become Orthodox if I hadn’t had this experience because I would have been too firmly entangled in the perspectives of my birth community, so in a sense this was a very necessary untangling. It seems that one’s capacity to discern truth is limited mainly by one’s ability to endure pain, hence Fr. Seraphim’s talk of “Suffering Orthodoxy”.
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement; sorry for being so prolix, one observation leads on to another, and then another….I need to acquire discipline.
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Maxim, thank you for your beautiful sharing and counsel. Two of my Godsisters are often at St. Paisius, one with a relative there and another who goes happily for “working visits” with her husband. They love St. Paisius. I always wanted to go but am past my travelling days so love to hear about it. The story of the nun in boots assigned to deal with rattlers feels like West Texas! I hear they have a lovely relationship with St. Anthony’s, no surprise. The spirituality there and their wonderful books, prayer ropes and bracelets, pamphlets grace our Church bookstore so they are with me tangibly too. I’ve been Orthodox since 2008 after studying it for 10 years and after a long intellectual trek not unlike Fr Seraphim’s, probably why I relate to him! Many losses or “shedding” along the way as you experienced which have been painful but salutary. Orthodoxy is the pearl of great price for me, though I don’t resemble any of the Saints or any disciplined well-ordered parishioner. Just too many years of living otherwise so best I can do is repent and keep trying to rise up after each fall. Rely on the prayers of others, my wonderful guides, and the Mysteries and the Holy Fathers and the ineffable Mercy of God. So happy for you and your daughter to have found Orthodoxy and St. Paisius monastery and to have that spiritual home! Glory to God!
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Oh, sorry, for some reason I thought you had been recently baptized!
Have you visited the St. Paisius website? It has some lovely pictures, and will give you something of the feel of what it’s like to be there. The nuns in boots dispatching rattlers does have sort of a Pecos Bill feel to it, but they don’t grab them by the tails and make lassos out of them! It used to be that they would give whistles to all the guests, and if anyone saw a rattlesnake they were supposed to blow their whistle so the nuns could get rid of it. Once when I was visiting I was staying in a little hut behind what was then the main guesthouse, and occasionally would have to come out at night to use the restroom. I asked Fr. Dorotheos “What do I do if I see a rattlesnake in the middle of the night; should I blow the whistle? He said “The Nuns would tell you to blow the whistle, but don’t blow the whistle”. There aren’t really very many of them around now.
I also spent several years reading and “hanging back” before I took the plunge. It was really my sister who helped me step over the edge; I had been playing intellectual ping-pong for five years at that point, and could easily have gone for another five. It was seeing my sister drink in the truths of the faith simply and easily that convinced me that there was something real here. Intellectual people sometimes spend a good deal of energy weaving nets for themselves, and sometimes other people, may God forgive us. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Fr. Seraphim, for all his vast intelligence, seems to have acquired something of that blessed simplicity when he entered Monasticism; he is a good model for me, had I but the strength to follow him.
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Maxim I thought of your words above about your Baptism today as I watched Orthodox Ethos Lesson 2 of the Orthodox Ecclesiology course on The Unity of the Church and the Mystery of Baptism on youtube at https://youtu.be/RJCzDMNWXF8 (I hope!). In the Q & A also Fr P is most eloquent. Not sure if you are taking the class but seems intended to fortify the initiated. Grateful to have it presently.
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Thank you for sending me the link; I have been listening to Orthodox Ethos Since Fr. Peter did his presentations on coronavirus last spring, though I did not sign up for the classes. I’m going to be traveling shortly, and as I’m currently unemployed, I want to conserve money, and don’t want to sign up for the classes without making a donation. The classes on Fr. Seraphim’s Survival Course looked really interesting.
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Understand and praying for your path and travel, Maxim. In case you have access to WiFi Via a public library etc the lectures are now live-streamed on YouTube for free at his OE YouTube channel since he really wants to reach folks snd to get all materials is one dollar a month to join Patreon (my guess is to avoid trolls) which includes access to the Q&A sessions. It is life affirming and essential to me right now. Your presence would be a gift to him and the group whenever you could. He doesn’t think like the world of course. Safe travels!
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Libraries have been closed here for six months. Right now I’m listening to Fr. Seraphim’s Survival Course, as I’ve never read completely through those materials before; such a clear exposition of history as it relates to spiritual matters and the development of the West! I don’t know when exactly I will be leaving. My mother is in the last stages of dementia, and has recently taken a down-turn. My brother will be coming out just to make sure he sees her before she goes, so I’ll stick around so I can see him, which means it won’t be before the end of March.
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Forgive me Father,
You may have already been given this suggestion, but maybe you could split up some of your longer posts into two, and if needed three or more parts?
It’s just that, for me, and maybe some of your other readers, don’t have that much time to sit and read a whole article/blog in one sitting, and just speaking for myself I have a hard time picking up where I left off. Other than that I have a short attention span, which is an other matter.
I know some people make time to watch shows and other malarkey, others have so many demands on their life that even getting some scripture reading in is a challenge.
Just something to consider
Thank you for your work and labors in Christ.
Alexander
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Sometimes I just leave a post up, and read three paragraphs or so at intervals throughout the day. Sometimes writing is organic, with one idea following from another, and the attempt to sequester one’s thought in bite-sized nuggets destroys the unity of the piece.
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It says that in the case of Moderna and Phizer they are not vaccines; are there other “vaccines” available which actually are traditional vaccines?
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Maxim, I believe Merck’s was, but they pulled it.
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Why, was it ineffective?
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