[Preorbtat]

Thank you Matthew for your post. I appreciate your position, but I still, mind you, don't agree with its conclusion. I am a lay person and hold no degree in theology, and I am quite sure you are much more learned in Orthodoxy than I am and than most people in this forum for that matter. I deeply respect you from what I know about you and am grateful for this online community. (in other words, please don't be mad at me for disagreeing with you! )

I don't believe for one instance that a heretical story like this is going to sway your beliefs. I'm confident your convictions are strong and your faith is solid. However, that is not the case with many of your fellow Christians (or those who would become Christians). Perhaps I am one of those people, and shunning the book and movie is what is needful in my individual situation. However, when you say that "one must exercise discernment", this is hard enough for deeply spiritual people let alone for those who are confused and disillusioned. The reality is, this is the spiritual condition of many, if not most, people these days. One must also excercise discernment in what they are endorsing and propagating.

I cannot see how your example of Christ sitting with sinners or His saving work has anything to do with reading a deeply heretical book which has led many souls astray, endorsing it as a good read, and then supporting it by going to see it in the theaters. Are we to accept such actions as Christlike 'engagement with sinners'? Is this the way Christ led by example? He did not shun the sinner, as you mention, but He did shun the sin.

You stated that "He did not shame those who would engage with sinners; He shamed only those who would have prevented him from doing so." I submit to you that endorsing this movie is preventing Him from engaging the hearts of men, and this should resoundly be put to shame. It is true that this is an age-old heresy, and there may be some fascinating social dynamics involved with its popularity, but to just chalk this up to "a flash in the pan" story which will 'quickly and universally fade away' is, by all due respect, an insensitive and ignorant statement to make while millions of people are being disillusioned and falling away from the Truth.

I would like to end my post by trying to tie together two observations you have mentioned, namely that the the Church is a spiritual hospital and that as the Body of Christ, it must be prepared to engage with the sick world in all its deficiencies and wrongs.

In the event of a chemical or biological accident, whether from an industrial incident or a terrorist attack, the first order of business is to announce a disaster code and to shut all the entrances to the hospital, especially the ones to the emergency department. This is done to secure the premises and protect the integrity of the facility and the health of those people within, especially those already sick from various ailments, from being exposed and contaminated, as they are the most vulnerable to die from such a contamination. Such procedures act to prevent the spread of disease and allow the hospital to efficiently concentrate its resources and energy in treating the sick which will be arriving, rather than expending itself on self-decontamination.

A heresy is such an accident, and in this regard, a terrorist attack by Satan. If the Church is going to perform its priestly and pastoral duty of healing its spiritually sick members, it will do this much more effectively if it first condemns the heresy for what it is, protects its already vulnerable from such demonic influences, thereby creating a suitable environment to address those newly contaminated members arriving in the ambulance bay in a more personal and individual manner.

By setting the example of spending time, money, and energy engaged with this heresy, it makes the job of the hospital more difficult and the vulnerable more so.