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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 ]