28th PAN-ORTHODOX CONFERENCE OF THE DELEGATES OF ORTHODOX CHURCHES…

My beloved spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ God,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

28th PAN-ORTHODOX CONFERENCE OF THE DELEGATES OF ORTHODOX
CHURCHES AND SACRED METROPOLISES ON MATTERS PERTAINING TO
HERESIES AND PARA-RELIGION

CONCLUSION

The 28th Pan-Orthodox Conference of the Delegates of Orthodox Churches and Sacred Metropolises on matters pertaining to heresies and para-religion, which took place under the auspices of His Beatitude Hieronymos, Archbishop, and All Greece, in the Papastrateion Conference Centre at Agrinion, from the 31st of October to the 2nd of November 2016, graciously hosted by His Eminence Kosmas, Metropolitan of Aetolia and Akarnania… presided by His Eminence Ignatios, Metropolitan of Larisa and Tyrnavos, Chairman of the Synodical Committee for Heresies, on the subject: "Heretical and occultist views regarding man and human rights", has, pursuant to an extensive discussion on the presentation, unanimously approved the following Conclusions:

During the lasts decades, it has been supported by increasingly many that we have already entered the century of anthropology – theology’s preoccupation once again and its special concern for mankind. This means it is necessary that the contemporary theological challenge not only sets out the content of faith, but that it also responds to the opportune question OF WHAT MAN IS TODAY, AND HOW HIS CIVILIZATION WILL BE PRESERVED.

The Creator brought man INTO EXISTENCE OUT OF NONEXISTENCE, AS A CREATION "ACCORDING TO HIS IMAGE AND TO HIS LIKENESS". The gift of "according to His Image" constitutes the common characteristic of all human beings, while the "according to His Likeness" is offered TO MANKIND AS THE POTENTIAL FOR FREE CHOICE. BODY and SOUL together COMPRISE THE WHOLE MAN, who is perceived as a PSYCHO-SOMATIC UNITY, AS A UNIFORM ENTITY, MAN IS A PERFECT MICROCOSM, INASMUCH AS FROM HIS VERY BEGINNING, HE FECAPITULATES, UNIFIES AND INCLUDES THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE, GIVEN THAT HE HAS WITHIN HIM ALL THE COMPONENTS OF THE WHOLE, AND THAT EVERYTHING WAS CREATED FOR HIM. Man was created for the purpose OF PERFECTING HIMSELF AND FROM "THE IMAGE" be let to "THE LIKENESS". He is a "god-like" creation, as well as a "called-upon god": that is, HE HAS THE CALLING, THE MOVE, AND THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME DEIFIED IN CHRIST.

To the opportune question of our time, as to what a man is, and how his civilization can be preserved, the reply by Orthodox Theology is NOT found somewhere else, NOR afar or OUTSIDE THE LEGACY EMBODIED IN THE Trust of "THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD", which is none other THAT THE AUTHENTIC MAN – the Godman, JESUS CHRIST.

Contrary to the Orthodox ecclesiastic teaching regarding man, are ALL ANTHROPOLOGICAL DELUSIONS, both of the occultist sphere, as well as fo the various heretical and PARA-CHRISTIAN MOVEMENTS.

The contemporary occultist approach regarding man is a repetition of the DEMONIC EXHORTATION OF "ye shall be as gods" (Genesis 3:5) and a motivation for contemporary Christians to pursue the things THAT THEY HAD RENOUNCED WITH THEIR REJECTION DURING THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY BAPTISM. It is a prompting by the "ancient serpent", that entices man into yet another EXISTENTIAL AUTONOMY, A DISREGARD FOR THE Triune God and A PROMISE FOR NEW PATHS TO "SELF-REDEMPTION" and "GOD-LINENESS", which have the appropriate guise per case, in a maze of positions, and beliefs…

"…In the occultist belief regarding MAN’S SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT, EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON HIS OWN POWERS. He is saved BY HIS OWN ACTIONS. God – as perceived in the occultist sphere – remains a non-participating, neutral observer. Everything illegitimate and dark that the morbid, post-Fall and corroded religiosity is able to present is projected by occultism with an excess OF ARROGANCE, AS ITS OWN, ENDO-COSMIC REASSURANCE OF THE ANCIENT, DEMONIC EXHORTATION OF "ye shall be as dods". At teh same time, with the insufferable conceit of an egotistical conscience, it also implements magic ritualistic practices…

"…Contemporary HERETICS’ and PARA-CHRISTIAN MOVEMENTS’ beliefs regarding man ARE FOUNDED AT TIMES IN CACODOX AND DEFICIENT INTERPRETATIONS OF SCRIPTURAL VERSES, and at times in more recent, supposedly exo-biblical "revelations" by God [for example, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or "Mormons", Christian Science et. al.] THEIR BELIEFS ARE IN ABSOLUTE ANTITHESIS TO THE BEARERS OF IN-CHRIST DIVINE REVELATIONS, TO THE HOLY BIBLE AND TO SACRED TRADITION.

In the HERETICAL and para-Christian movements in the field of anthropology, fundamental Christian terminology such as the FALL, SALVATION, ETC. have been given A RADICALLY DIFFERENT AND UNACCEPTABLE MEANING – NOT ONLY DIFFERENT TO THE Orthodox teaching. but also to the remaining Christian world…

The anthropological deviations from the Orthodox teaching, as projected by the variously named occultist and HERETICAL MOVEMENTS, WREAK NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES, WREAK NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES ON BOTH THE INDIVIDUALS AND ON THE GROUP THAT ADOPT THEM.

The Conference UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES the Conclusions stated above…

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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"

– Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George