The Violent Munkee

It can be difficult being Orthodox, as many know in more ways than one. To begin with Orthodoxy takes the Christian faith that for most people was once practiced as a lifestyle and transforms it into a life. Your whole day, from waking till your head hits the pillow, will be carried out as an Orthodox Christian. While one may set this life aside for a time, it is not set aside lightly. But this is only one aspect of the being Orthodox that I find can be difficult.

There is another side that is perhaps in some instances more difficult than the day-to-day, moment-by-moment struggle we participate in. This difficulty is the bi-product of finding your spiritual home in the Church…and knowing in the deepest way, deeper than you’ve ever known anything that you were truly home.

And this “homeness” is affirmed and confirmed every day in the moment-by-moment struggles, in living life, in seeing things anew, in seeing the kingdom. One begins to see as they immerse themselves in the ancient faith that the perspective found there is so consistent, so honest, that it can be rooted in nothing else but Truth (Truth as a person).

So, here’s the rub; the great difficulty of interacting with friends, family, and coworkers who in their search for Truth, are searching in the dark. While in the darkness, some of them wander and grope the walls, and as they do, it seems they get so deep into the darkness that things actually get dangerous. They soon are now feeling around inside the mouths of vipers. Yet, this vipers jagged fangs and slippery tongue feels new and different to them, so they think, “Aha, I haven’t felt this before, perhaps this is what I’m seeking.” And there you are, with this feeling of that you are immobilized, as you watch this deadly dance go on. For if you rush in shouting, “No, no, no!!!” you may frighten them and perhaps force them deeper into the darkness.

Let me be clear. The issue I am concerned with is not the seeking of ideas, in and of itself, but rather, having a context within which to distinguish the truth of them. I have a friend, a Christian, who has recently felt a sudden rush of liberation in searching. The individual has explored all sorts of issues regarding gender, sexuality, and world religions. These can be vastly complex and fascinating topics to tackle and attempt to glean some new understanding from.

The issue here is the notion that these things are harmless; that they must be interpreted and understood without presupposition and ultimately, it would seem, without guide. Herein lies the danger, for without any significant grounding, any tether, any anchor, we are left to drift into ideas the implications of which we do not fully realize.