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Inaccuracies on Voithia...
Emailed to voithia.org 01/04/98
It is pretty obvious that any serious 'Web surfer' be ready to deal with
'freedom' of a different level. So be it. I have even occasioned to leaf
through the venomous pages of so called 'Voithia'. It's free.
I thought I heard it all as a priest. I have always been amazed at how
vicious we could be with one another; but accept this as the way things
are for Christians. As 'cheek-turning', forgiving and struggling to love
types, Christians make easy targets. Especially in Church, where lashing
out seems to be the only satisfaction available to those sadly missing
the point. At least manners and decorum act as a check and balance, but
on the internet, there are no such barriers. Here, anonymity rules. Truth
has no bearing. Accuse to your hearts desire the best and highest targets
you can. 'Freedom here' really means 'No Responsibility Here!'
I did not see the accusing, hard-hitting, victimizing Archbishop Spyridon
on his so called 'Adventure of Intimidation'. In fact, I hurt when he said
that it flew in his face that all these 'e-mail' accusations were responded
to by his priests in silence. Frankly, for all the slander, I'm glad to
see that our Archbishop is open enough to tell us about his feelings.
I would imagine that's precisely why he is so attacked in this forum.
Now I read in an article "What's Going on Here" by Stephen P. Angelides
http://www.voithia.org/qmpdp121597100.html
that two of my closest friends are 'hint' conspiring at high levels with
the Archbishop (and I assume the Patriarch) to "implement phase two of the
secret charter, the elimination of the role of the laity in Church governance"
He quotes Fr. Nicholas J. Capilos in Savanah, Georgia of conspiring to do the
unthinkable, to dissolve the parish council. He then more vaguely blames the
same on the interim priest in Long Beach, California, Fr. Avramis,
Fr. Thomas Avramis (how did he know I needed to read that name twice?).
Anyone interested in any follow through on this e-journalism? I called/emailed
my Priestly friends to find out just how they worked their way up so high on
the ladder of intrigue. Fr. Tom told me that he stood firm to keep only
dedicated Church-going Orthodox Christians on his council. I can see that
this does not keep with the vision of 'democracy' in the Church. God forbid
that we run the Church canonically. Fr. Nick openly stated that the topic was
brought up speculatively 'in house', and dropped (but not dropped 'out of
house' as evidenced by the hand of Mr. Angelides). Not enough? I asked them both,
point blank, "Do you have any intentions of discarding the parish council system?"
"Are you aware of any secret charter to eliminate parish councils?" Both
answered, no to each question. Clear enough? Someone here is telling lies.
Mr. Angelides wrote the following:
> In America, we don't like being lied to. In America, when two parties sign a
> legal document, that means something. When one party unilaterally violates it,
> that's wrong. In America, when one person expresses his opinion, that's
> freedom of speech. When another person threatens and intimidates him to try
> to stop him, that's wrong. In America, when one party builds something, and
> another tries to take it over, that's wrong. In America, our culture is
> built around democracy and public participation.
I also thought America was the land of freedom and justice, where a man is
innocent until proven guilty, and can face his accusers in a court of law.
Now its a place where the innocent are presumed guilty, and where religious
freedom means we have the right to disassemble our traditional Orthodox
faith simply because we can vote to do so. Now it seems that certain
individuals are claiming the right to slander at will, to spread lies and innuendo.
Make no mistake, a 'secret' agenda to dissolve the parish council system would
leave us in a very 'Greek' state (after all, that is the present system in
Greece). Its no secret that our parish council system has done its share of damage, and
that by using this issue as a lever to issue reckless slander does indeed
leave one wondering if we haven't left the toddlers in charge of the Kindergarten.
Suffice it to say, no system is perfect, save the one we await on the
Lord's return.
Until then, we all have our opinions, but its a small few who have their facts
correct, and this web page has the smallest percentage I have ever seen.
Rev. Chris A. Margaritis
Oklahoma City, OK
vulcan@oklahoma.net (Chris Margaritis)
ALITHEIA-ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑ | www.alitheia.org/EV-PR&.HTM - January 4, 1998 ]
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