ESSAYS IN TRUE ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY VOLUME TWO © Vladimir Moss, 2014. All Rights Reserved. 1 Contents FOREWORD .....................................................................................................................................5 1. WHO THEN CAN BE SAVED? ..............................................................................................6 2. ORTHODOXY AND FREEDOM OF RELIGION ...................................................................11 The Origin of the Idea...................................................................................................................11 The Idea in Early Byzantium........................................................................................................13 Roman Catholic Intolerance..........................................................................................................21 The Revival of Tolerance...............................................................................................................23 English Liberalism ........................................................................................................................26 The American Idea ........................................................................................................................30 The Russian Idea...........................................................................................................................33 Conclusions...................................................................................................................................38 3. THE CORRECT INTERPRETATION OF ROMANS 5.12 ......................................................40 4. HEAVEN, HELL AND THE CYPRIANITES............................................................................49 5. ORTHODOXY AND ROMANTICISM....................................................................................54 The Romantic Hero (1) Napoleon.................................................................................................54 The Romantic Hero (2) Byron ......................................................................................................60 6. PREDESTINATION, ST. AUGUSTINE AND FR. PANTELEIMON ....................................65 7. ON FAITH AND THE ROOTS OF UNBELIEF .......................................................................77 The Naturalness of Faith...............................................................................................................77 The Preconditions of Faith............................................................................................................82 Faith, Ignorance and the Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.......................................................86 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................90 8. ROMANIDES AND ORIGINAL SIN........................................................................................91 Can Sin be Inherited? ...................................................................................................................91 What is Sin? .................................................................................................................................95 Sin and Death ...............................................................................................................................96 Romans 5.12 ...............................................................................................................................102 Adam and Christ.........................................................................................................................105 9. ROMANIDES, HOLY SCRIPTURE AND SCIENCE............................................................107 10. ROMANIDES ON THE HOLY TRINITY.............................................................................119 11. PEDAGOGICAL AND RETRIBUTIVE JUSTICE ................................................................123 12. HOW IMPORTANT IS THE QUESTION OF GRACE? .....................................................139 13. ST. PHILARET OF NEW YORK AND THE HERESY OF ECUMENISM......................143 The Sorrowful Epistles................................................................................................................144 The Fall of the Serbian Church ...................................................................................................148 The Third All-Diaspora Council.................................................................................................151 2 The Fall of the Dissidents............................................................................................................161 The Anathema against Ecumenism ............................................................................................166 14. TRUE ORTHODOXY AND THE VENERATION OF SAINTS.........................................173 15. WHAT IS A TRUE MARRIAGE?..........................................................................................178 The Permanence of Marriage ......................................................................................................179 Troitsky’s Thesis .........................................................................................................................180 The Role of the Church................................................................................................................183 Remarriage and Divorce .............................................................................................................190 Mixed Marriages ........................................................................................................................193 Polygamy, Fornication and Adultery .........................................................................................198 The Two Mysteries .........................................................................................................................202 The Purposes of Marriage...........................................................................................................211 16. ARE ALL MEN CREATED EQUAL?....................................................................................215 Equality and Human Rights.......................................................................................................215 Equality in Adam and Christ .....................................................................................................218 Equality and the Fall...................................................................................................................219 Equality and Divine Providence.................................................................................................221 Equality and Slavery...................................................................................................................223 Equality and Monarchism ..........................................................................................................226 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................228 17. ORTHODOXY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND MARXISM ........................................................229 The Philosophy of Human Rights...............................................................................................229 From Natural Law to Human Rights .........................................................................................231 Human Rights and the French Revolution.................................................................................232 Human Rights in the Twentieth Century ..................................................................................234 An Analysis of the Philosophy....................................................................................................237 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................244 18. THE DAY TRUE ORTHODOXY SAVED THE WORLD...................................................247 19. FAITH, SCIENCE AND DOUBTING THOMAS.................................................................249 20. GOD, SPACE-TIME, THE CHURCH, THE CROSS AND LIGHT ....................................254 21. THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES..........................................................................................257 22. ORTHODOXY AND THE DEATH PENALTY ...................................................................265 23. ECUMENISM AND NATIONALISM ..................................................................................269 24. THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN HOLOCAUST..................................................................274 25. SCIENCE, ART AND THE TURIN SHROUD.....................................................................286 26. THE LIVING TEMPLE OF GOD...........................................................................................302 27.EVO LUTIO N AN D THEG EN EALO G YO FCHRIST .......................................................304 28.O N FAITH AN D WO RKS......................................................................................................310 3 29.H O M O SEXUA LITY,EVO LUTIO N A N D TH EN A TURA L O RDER ................................316 30.A UNIVERS A L FA ITH FOR A GL O B A L IZED W O RL D .................................................323