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Dear Fr Seraphim,

Father, bless!

Thank you for your response to my post #320. It was not my specific intention to speak for or against Traditionalism, only to suggest to Mina (I'm sorry Mina, should that be Sr Mina? I didn't know you are a nun!) that this philosophical school may be what influences Prince Charles in positively assessing "the beauty of" Islam. From what little I know of Traditionalist ideas, traditional aesthetic standards of beauty feature highly in the philosophy, and surely Islamic architecture and design would therefore be much appreciated by this school (although, again without claiming any expert historical knowledge, I wonder to what extent Islamic art is itself derived from the Byzantine art which preceded it - the familiar Islamic chant, for example, certainly sounds suspiciously similar in terms of melody to our own Byzantine chant which preceded it historically).

Having said that, you are correct in spotting an overly "generous" tone in some of my posts. I have no doubt that Christianity is the sole repository of Truth, but alas for the time being I am still struggling to make this dogmatic assertion a reality for myself, in a world which is increasingly "pluralistic" in ways that are not always healthy (f.e. "Globalisation" seems to me to mean "(secular) Westernisation" most of the time). I can certainly see the possibility that NOT all "spiritual" paths lead to God, and I can at the same time profoundly respect and try to love with the little love I can muster our own Orthodox Christianity. I also trust that Jesus is more than plenty God for me, and do not want or feel tempted to place my trust in other divinities. What I am having difficulty doing, is saying that no holiness can exist outside the visible boundary of the Orthodox Church. I cannot bring myself to condemn all wise and good people from other religious traditions to darkness. I would rather believe that God moves in mysterious ways, that a person may be a follower of Jesus without realising it. Sometimes our cultural background prevents us from being Orthodox Christians - we may not even be aware of the Orthodox faith.

I have no trouble believing that Traditionalism in its "dogmatic" expression is prelest as you suggest. Yet I would be lying if I said I disagree with everything it has to say (f.e. I do think the modern world is mostly a rebellion against tradition, and I can see the beauty of art and myth in other religions). I do NOT think the Logos is non-personal. I'm interested to hear that Schuon knew Fr Sophrony. What on earth did he mean in saying Fr Sophrony was "caught in the web of Orthodox teaching"?

Generally therefore I would say regarding the Traditionalists, what I would say regarding other religions: take what is good and useful and not deluded, measure it against the Truth of Christ as the Church teaches it, and throw away the rest. This is where I am right now in my thinking, but I say so while acknowledging I may be sorely mistaken in this attitude. I do not speak from the perspective of a true Christian, but as a seeker still trying to understand, so please pray to God for me to forgive my error and show me a better way.

Glad to be hearing from you, Fr Seraphim. I hope you are well.

In Christ
Byron