SECULARISM IN THE CHURCH

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

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

SECULARISM IN THE CHURCH
By Metropolitan of Nafpaktos, Hierotheos

The Church is the Body of Christ. It is not a human organism, but the Divine-human Body of Christ. The Church is also a communion of deification (theosis), which means THAT ITS AIM IS TO GUIDE ITS MEMBERS TO THEOSIS (DEIFICATION), WHICH IS THE BASIC OBJECTIVE OF MAN’S CREATION.

There is a basic passage in the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Christians of Ephesus which shows the objective of the Pastors of the Church. The Apostle writes: "And he himself gave some to be Apostles and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" [Ephesians 4:11-13]. According to Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite, in the phrase "THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SON OF GOD", the Apostle Paul does not mean "the knowledge of God which is achieved through viewing created things and the Holy Scriptures. for the impure can also do this. He is speaking of the supernatural knowledge of the Son of God enhypostasized in the heart THROUGH DIVINE ILLUMINATION AND GLORIFICATION, which is given to many perfected WHO ARE PURIFIED OF THE BODILY AND PHYSICAL PASSIONS something which he wishes ALL CHRISTIANS TO ATTAIN." Also the phrase "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of God" CONVEYS THE MEANING OF THEOSIS (DEIFICATION).

The existence of the True Church is demonstrated by its success in CURING MAN. We know from the teaching of the Holy Fathers that the Church IS THE SPIRITUAL CENTER, THE SPIRITUAL HOSPITAL THAT CURES MAN. When we speak of ILLNESS and CURE, we mean THE NOUS is ill and that it is cured. The cure of THE NOUS is not independent of PURIFICATION, ILLUMINATION AND THEOSIS (DEIFICATION). The AIM OF THE CHURCH IS TO CURE THIS COGNITIVE CENTER, SO THTAT MMAN MAY ATTTAIN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, WHICH CONSTITUTES HIS SALVATION. Thus the existence of the True Church is shown by the degree of success, by the results of the therapy. IF IT CURES MAN, IF IT DIAGNOSES THE ILLNESS CORRECTLY AND IF IT KNOWS THE WAY AND METHOD OF THERAPHY, THEN IT IS THE TRURE, NOT THE SECULAR, CHURCH…

The second example which shows the degree of a church’s success IN CURRING IS THE PRESENCE AND EXISTENCE OF HOLY RELICS. The holy relics are A PROOF OF MAN’S CURE. WHEN THE NOUS IS PURIFIED AND ILLUMINATED, AND THEN WHEN THE MAN ATTAINS THEOSIS (DIEFICATION) , THEN THE WHOLE MAN IS DEIFIED, BECAUSE THE GRACE OF GOD IS TRANSPORTED FROM THE SOUL TO THE BODY AS WELL. The Saint’s holy relics, WHICH ARE IMPERISHABLE, FRAGRANT AND MIRACLE-WORKING, ARE A PROOF THAT THE METHOD AND WAY OF CURRING HAS BEEN PRESERVED THAT THE CHURCH LEADS MAN TO THEOSIS (DEIFICATION). Therefore, it is said characteristically THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH IS TO LEAD MAN TO THEOSIS (DEIFICATION). And a Church which does not produce holy relics shows that IT IS NOT LEADING MAN TO THEOSIS (DEIFICATION)L, AND THEREFORE IT DOES NOT HAVE THE TRUTH METHOD FOR MAN TO ATTAIN HIS CURE…

SECULARISM in the Church IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE LOSS OF THE CHURCH’S TRUE OBJECTIVE. A Church that is NOT animated by what we have been saying, that is to say a Church that DOES NOT CURE A MAN, BUT IS OCCUPIED WITH OTHER MATTERS, IS SECULAR. It is in this sense that we can speak of SECULARISM IN THE CHURCH. Next, we shall look at some cases illustrating the secularized Church.

We can say that the Church IS SECULAR WHEN IT IS REGARDED AS A RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION. There is an enormous difference BEWTEEN THE CHURCH AND RELIGION. Religion speak of AN IMPERFONAL GOD WHO DWELL IN HEAVEN AND DIRECTS THE WORLD FORM THERE. And man, by different rites and ceremonial acts, has to appease this God and come into contact with Him. But the Chruch is the Body of Christ, Who ASSUMED HUMAN NATURE AND, IN THIS WAY, THERE EXISTS A COMMUNION BETWEEN MAN AND GOD IN THE PERSON OF CHRIST. To be sure, we do not deny that there are some Christians in the Church who have a religious sense of God. But this happens in the lower stages of the spiritual life, it constitutes SPIRIITUAL IMMATURITY, and nevertheless there is the disposition and tendency for man to go on maturing spiritually and to attain communion and unity with God. At all events, A SECULAR CHURCH SIMPLY SATISFIES PEOPLE’S RELIGIOUS FEELINGS AND NOTHING MORE. IT IS KNOWN FOR BEAUTIFUL CEREMONIES AND IS UNAWARE OF HTEWHOLE NEPTIC AND THERAPEUTINC WEALTH WHICH THE CHURCH POSSESSES.

Furthermore, the Church IS SECULARIZED WHEN IT REGARDS ITSELF AS A PLACE AND SYSTEM OF IDEALOGY, UNRELATED TO LIFE. IDEOLOGICAL SYSTEMS ARE ANIMATED BY ABSTRACT IDEAS AND STEEPED IN IDEALISM, WHICH BEARS THE CHARACTERISTIC MARKS OF ALL ANTHROPOCENTRIC SYSTEMS, WHICH REST ON PHILOSOPHY AND OPPOSE MATERIALISM. Ideas are not much related to life, TO THE TRANSORMATION OF MAN. IDEALISM IS PUT TOGETHER BY MAN’S LOGIC AND IS PRESENTED IN THE FORM OF ARGUMENTS AND IDEAS.

THE CHURCH DOES NOT FUNCTION AS AN IDEOLOGICAL FIELD. IT DOES NOT SIMPLY HAVE SOME IDEAS, EVEN IF THE BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL ONES, WHICH IT CANUSE TO COUNTER OTHER IDEAS. The Church HAS LIFE, and indeed THE TRUE LIFE, WHICH IS A FRUIT OF MAN’S COMMUNION WITH GOD. Saint Gregory Palamas says: "Every saying is countered by another saying." Every argument is confronted by a counter-argument. We see this clearly in so many philosophically ideas that have been formulated. But who can oppose the TRUE LIFE, ad particularly the LIFE WHICH CONQUERS DEATH? The Chruch DOES NOT HAVE IDEAS. IT HAS LIFE, WHICHIS THE TRANSCENDENCE OF DEATH…

In any case, a Church that crucifies instead of being crucified, that experiences worldly glory instead of the glory of the Cross, a Church that succumbs to Christ’s three temptations in the wilderness instead of overcoming them, IS A SECULARIZED CHURCH. It is destined to help the fallen society TO REMAIN IN ITS FALLEN STATE, AND IT SPREADS DISAPPOINTMENT AND DESPAIR TO ALL WHO ARE TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING DEEPER ADN MORE ESSENTIAL. (Resources: The mind of the Orthodox Church]

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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George