About intimate relationships in an Orthodox family.

Why is the Orthodox Church so sharply negative about homosexuality? I'm not talking about gay parades, I don't understand it myself, although I live with a woman. How are we different? Why are we more sinful than everyone else? We are the same people as everyone else. Why are we treated like this? Thank you.

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:

The Holy Fathers teach us to distinguish between sin and a person whose soul is sick and needs treatment from a serious illness. Such a person evokes compassion. However, it is impossible to heal the one who is in blindness and does not see his disastrous state.

Holy Scripture calls any violation of the Divine law a sin (see 1 John 3:4). The Lord the Creator endowed a man and a woman with spiritual and bodily features so that they complement each other and thus constitute a unity. The Holy Bible testifies that marriage as a permanent life union between a man and a woman was established by God at the very beginning of human existence. According to the Creator's plan, the meaning and purpose of marriage is in joint salvation, in common work, mutual assistance and bodily union for the birth of children and their upbringing. Of all earthly unions, marriage is the closest: will be one flesh(Gen. 2:24). When people have sexual life outside of marriage, they pervert the Divine plan for a blessed life union, reducing everything to a sensual-physiological principle and discarding spiritual and social goals. Therefore, the holy Bible defines any cohabitation outside of family ties as a mortal sin, for the Divine institution is violated. An even more serious sin is the satisfaction of sensual needs in an unnatural way: “Do not lie with a man as with a woman: this is an abomination” (Lev.18: 22). This applies equally to women. The Apostle Paul calls this shameful passion, shame, lasciviousness: “Their women replaced natural use with unnatural; likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the female sex, were inflamed with lust against one another, men doing shame against men and receiving in themselves the due punishment for their error ”(Rom. 1: 26-27). People living in Sodomite sin are deprived of salvation: “Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor malacia, nor homosexuals nor thieves, nor covetous men, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor predators, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

There is a sad repetition in history. Societies that go through periods of decline are afflicted, like metastases, by some especially dangerous sins. Most often, sick societies are engulfed in mass self-interest and depravity. The offspring of the latter is the sin of Sodom. Mass depravity corroded Roman society like acid and crushed the power of the empire.

To justify the sin of Sodom, they try to bring "scientific" arguments and convince that there is an innate predisposition to this attraction. But this is a typical myth. A helpless attempt to justify evil. There is absolutely no evidence that homosexuals are genetically different from other people. We are talking only about a spiritual and moral illness and the inevitable deformation in the field of the psyche. Sometimes the cause may be childish depraved games that a person forgot, but they left a painful trace in the subconscious. The poison of unnatural sin that has entered a person can manifest itself much later if a person does not lead a correct spiritual life.

The Word of God, sensitive to all manifestations of human life, not only says nothing about innateness, but calls this sin an abomination. If it depended on certain neuroendocrine characteristics and sex hormones, which are associated with the physiological regulation of the reproductive function of a person, then the Holy Scripture would not speak of the unnaturalness of this passion, it would not be called shame. Isn't it blasphemous to think that God can create some people with a physiological disposition to mortal sin and thereby doom them to death? The facts of mass distribution of this type of debauchery in some periods of history testify against the attempt to use science as an excuse. The Canaanites, the inhabitants of Sodom, Gomorrah and other cities of Pentagrad (Adma, Seboim and Sigor) were infected with this filth without exception. Defenders of Sodomy dispute the notion that the inhabitants of these cities had this shameful passion. However, the New Testament directly says: “As Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around, like them, committed fornication and who went after other flesh having undergone the punishment of eternal fire, set as an example, so it will be with these dreamers who defile the flesh ”(Jude 1: 7-8). This is also evident from the text: “They called Lot and said to him: Where are the people who came to you at night? bring them to us; we shall know them” (Gen. 19:5). The words “let us know them” have a very definite character in the Bible and indicate carnal relationships. And since the angels who came had the appearance of men (see: Gen. 19: 10), this shows what disgusting depravity all (“from young to old, all the people”; Gen. 19: 4) inhabitants of Sodom were infected with. The righteous Lot, fulfilling the ancient law of hospitality, offers his two daughters, “who did not know a man” (Gen. 19: 8), but the perverts, inflamed with vile lust, tried to rape Lot himself: “Now we will deal worse with you than with them "(Gen. 19: 9).

Modern Western society, having lost its Christian roots, is trying to be "humane" in relation to homosexuals, calling them the morally neutral word "sex minority" (by analogy with the national minority). In fact, this is a very cruel attitude. If a doctor, wanting to be "kind", inspired a seriously ill patient that he was healthy, only by nature he was not like others, then he would not differ much from a murderer. Holy Scripture indicates that God “condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, having condemned them to destruction, turned into ashes, setting an example for the future wicked” (2 Pet. 2: 6). It speaks not only of the danger of losing eternal life, but also of the possibility of being healed of any, even the most serious and rooted spiritual illness. The Apostle Paul not only severely rebuked the Corinthians for shameful sins, but also strengthened their hope with examples from their own midst: “And such were some of you; but they were washed, but they were sanctified, but they were justified by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

The Holy Fathers point out that the center of gravity of all passions (including carnal ones) is in the realm of the human spirit - in its damage. The passions are the result of man's separation from God and the resulting sinful depravity. Therefore, the starting point of healing must be the determination to “leave Sodom” forever. When the angels were leading Lot's family out of this city of vile debauchery, one of them said: “Save your soul; do not look back” (Gen. 19:17). These words were a moral test. A parting glance at the corrupted city, to which God's judgment had already been pronounced, would testify to sympathy for him. Lot's wife looked back, because her soul had not parted from Sodom. We find confirmation of this idea in the book of wisdom of Solomon. Speaking of wisdom, the author writes: “At the time of the destruction of the wicked, she saved the righteous, who escaped the fire that descended on five cities, from which, as evidence of wickedness, there remained a smoking empty earth and plants that did not bear fruit in due time, and a monument wrong souls - a standing pillar of salt (Wisdom 10: 6-7). Lot's wife is called an unfaithful soul. Our Lord Jesus Christ warns his disciples: “On the day Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all… Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:29, 32). Not only those who have looked into the abyss with their experience, but also all those who justify this vice, one must constantly remember Lot's wife. The path to a real fall begins with the moral justification of sin. One must be horrified by the eternal fire, and then all liberal speeches about the “right” to what the Lord said through the lips of the sacred writers will seem false: “The depraved one is an abomination before the Lord, but with the righteous he has fellowship” (Prov. 3: 32).

It is necessary to enter into the fertile experience of the Church. First of all, it is necessary (without delay) to prepare for the general confession and go through it. From this day on, we must begin to fulfill what the Holy Church has prescribed for its members for centuries: regularly participate in the sacraments of confession and communion, go to feast and Sunday services, read morning and evening prayers, observe holy fasts, be attentive to oneself in order to evade sin. ). Then the all-powerful help of God will come and heal you completely from a serious illness. “He who knows his weakness from many temptations, from bodily and spiritual passions, also knows the infinite power of God, delivering those who cry out to Him with prayer from the bottom of their hearts. And his prayer is already sweet. Seeing that without God he can do nothing, and fearing a fall, he tries to be relentless with God. He is surprised, thinking about how God delivered him from so many temptations and passions, and thanks the Redeemer, and with thanksgiving receives humility and love, and no longer dares to despise anyone, knowing that as God helped him, so He can help everyone, whenever he wants” (St. Peter of Damascus).

What is the attitude of the Orthodox Church towards the Gospel of Thomas?

The text known as the Gospel of Thomas does not belong to one of the 12 apostles. EP arose, no doubt, in one of the Gnostic sects. According to authoritative researcher Bruce M. Metzger, “the compiler of the Gospel of Thomas, who probably wrote it down in Syria around 140, also used the Gospel of the Egyptians and the Gospel of the Jews” (Canon of the New Testament, M., 1998, p. 86). It contains neither a story about the earthly life of the Savior of the world (Christmas, preaching the Kingdom of Heaven, Redemptive death, Resurrection and Ascension), nor stories about His miracles. It contains 118 logias (sayings). Gnostic delusions are clearly present in their content. Representatives of these heretical sects taught about "secret knowledge". The author of the text under consideration, in full accordance with this, writes: “These are the secret words that the living Jesus spoke…” (1). Such an understanding of the Savior's teaching is completely at odds with the spirit of the gospel, which is open to all. Jesus himself testifies: “I spoke openly to the world; I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where the Jews always converge, and secretly did not say anything ”(John 18:20). The Gnostics were characterized by docetism (Greek dokeo - to think, to seem) - the denial of the Incarnation. Representatives of this heresy claimed that the body of Jesus was ghostly. Docetism is present in EP. We know from the testimonies of the evangelist that the Lord said: “Why are you troubled, and why do such thoughts enter your hearts? Look at my hands and at my feet; it is I myself; touch me and see; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see with me. And having said this, he showed them his hands and feet” (Luke 24:39).

One can cite from EP quite a few tales that are completely alien to the spirit of Christ's radiant love. For example: “The Kingdom of the Father is like a man who wants to kill a strong man. He drew a sword in his house, he plunged it into the wall to see if his hand would be strong. Then he killed the strong one” (102).

There are quite a few people who are drawn to reading the Apocrypha. There are clear signs of spiritual ill health in this. They naively think to find something else "unknown" there. The Holy Fathers tried to keep Christians from reading the Apocrypha. “Why take up something that the Church does not accept,” wrote Blessed. Augustine. EP well confirms this idea of ​​the saint. What can teach, for example, the 15th logic: "If you fast, you will engender sin in yourself, and if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give alms, you will harm your spirit." Here, blasphemously, under the guise of "the gospel", what the Savior denounced is served. “Experience proves how disastrous are the consequences of indiscriminate reading. How many concepts about Christianity can be found among the children of the Eastern Church, the most confused, incorrect, contrary to the teachings of the Church, discrediting this holy teaching - concepts learned by reading heretical books ”(St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Complete collection of creations, vol. 1, M., 2001 , p.108).

In what language were the laws written on the tablets?

priest Afanasy Gumerov, resident of the Sretensky Monastery

The Ten Commandments were written on stone tablets in Hebrew.

Is it possible to tell others what the priest said in confession?

priest Afanasy Gumerov, resident of the Sretensky Monastery

Tell me, please, how to explain to a child who an angel is?

Hegumen Ambrose (Ermakov)

I will try to fulfill your request by contacting the child directly:

Dear friend! Angel is a Greek word (there is such a language) and it means the one who brings news, news - a messenger. After all, you know that your dad at work, at your school and all people have bosses. And in order to convey something to their subordinates, these bosses send a special person, a messenger. And our main Head and Creator is the Lord. And the messengers He sends are called angels. Angels bring thoughts of goodness, peace and love from God, encourage people to fulfill the commandments of God, protect a person from evil. And although we do not see angels, we must turn to them with prayer, knowing that angels see us and hear and help when it is necessary and useful for us.

What do the cross and the rite of baptism symbolize in Christianity?

priest Afanasy Gumerov, resident of the Sretensky Monastery The incarnated God Jesus Christ, out of immeasurable love for us, took upon Himself the sins of the entire human race and, having accepted death on the Cross, offered an atoning Sacrifice for us. Since sins lead a person to spiritual death and make him a prisoner of the devil, after the death of Christ at Calvary, the Cross became an instrument of victory over sin, death and the devil. In the sacrament of baptism, the rebirth of fallen man takes place. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, he is born into spiritual life. You can be born only when our old man dies. The Savior said in a conversation with Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:5-6). In baptism we are crucified with Christ and resurrected with Him. " Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).

How to understand the definition of "Catholic Greek-Russian Church"?

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov)

This is one of the names of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is often found before 1917. In May 1823, St. Philaret of Moscow published a catechism, which had the following title: "The Christian Catechism of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Greco-Russian Church."

Catholic (from Greek καθ - by and όλη - whole; όικουμένη - universe) means universal.

compound word Greek-Russian indicates the grace-filled and canonical continuity of the Russian Church in relation to the Byzantine one.

What will happen to the souls of sinners?

priest Afanasy Gumerov, resident of the Sretensky Monastery

Today two Jehovah's Witnesses came to see me and we started a discussion. The conversation turned to the soul, or to be more precise, about its death. I believe (based on "Revelations") that the souls of sinners, along with Satan, will be thrown into hell and they will be tormented there forever (as it is actually written in the Bible), but they insist that the above-mentioned personalities will be destroyed in this lake, that is deleted like files from a computer. My arguments were not enough for them, tell me, please, what should they answer?

Answer: The human soul is immortal and indestructible. Therefore, there will be not only eternal bliss for the righteous, but also eternal torment for unrepentant sinners. This is revealed to us in the holy Gospel. “Then he will also say to those on the left side: Depart from me, cursed, into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41); “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Mt. 25:46); “Truly I say to you, all sins and blasphemy will be forgiven the sons of men, no matter how they blaspheme; but whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit, there will be no forgiveness forever, but he is subject to eternal condemnation” (Mark 3:28-29). Seer's words “both alive were thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 19:20) mean that the Antichrist and the false prophet, as the most malicious and stubborn opponents of God, will be punished even before the Judgment, that is, they will not go through the usual order that St. Apostle Paul: “men are supposed to die once, and then judgment”(Heb. 9:27). Elsewhere, St. the apostle writes: “I tell you a secret: we will not all die, but we will all be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51).

If there was nothing before God, then where did evil come from?

priest Afanasy Gumerov, resident of the Sretensky Monastery

God did not create evil. The world that came out of the hands of the Creator was perfect. “And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). Evil by its nature is nothing but a violation of the Divine order and harmony. It arose from the abuse of the freedom that the Creator gave to His creations - angels and man. At first, a part of the angels fell away from the will of God out of pride. They turned into demons. Their damaged nature has become a constant source of evil. Then the man could not resist in goodness. Openly violating the commandment given to him, he opposed the will of the Creator. Having lost the beneficial connection with the bearer of Life, man has lost his original perfection. His nature has been corrupted. Sin was born and entered the world. Its bitter fruits were sickness, suffering and death. Man is no longer completely free (Rom. 7:15-21), but a slave of sin. The Incarnation took place to save people. “For this reason the Son of God appeared, to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). By His death on the cross and Resurrection, Jesus Christ spiritually and morally defeated evil, which no longer has full power over man. But real evil remains as long as the present world is preserved. Everyone is required to struggle with sin (primarily in themselves). With the grace of God, this struggle can bring victory to everyone. Evil will be finally defeated at the end of time by Jesus Christ. " He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:25–26).

What is the attitude of the Orthodox Church towards classical music?

Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov)

If you were to ask me, I would be of two minds about her. On the one hand, since a person, according to the teachings of the Church, consists of a spirit, soul and body, then the soul, the spiritual, non-spiritual needs, of course, must find food. At a certain time in the formation of an Orthodox person, of course, it is better to listen to classical music than the soul-destroying or empty works of some modern authors. But as a person gets to know the spiritual world, he notices with surprise that once loved by him and undoubtedly great works of musical art become less and less interesting for him.

Is it true that a person who has not confessed or taken communion within a year is automatically excommunicated from the Church?

priest Afanasy Gumerov, resident of the Sretensky Monastery

No. We must prepare for confession and proceed to this sacrament.

October 22, 2013 at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, in continuation of the special course "History of Christian Thought", a lecture on traditional religions and their relationship with Orthodoxy, head, chairman, rector, professor and head of the department of theology of MEPhI.

Today I would like to say a few words about the relationship between the Orthodox and representatives of world religions, of which three are represented in our country as traditional; we call these religions traditional because they have historically existed with us for centuries. These are Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. I will not talk in detail about each of these religions, but I will try to highlight in general terms their differences from Orthodox Christianity and talk about how we build relationships with them today.

Orthodoxy and Judaism

First of all, I would like to say a few words about Judaism. Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people: it is impossible to belong to it without being of Jewish origin. Judaism thinks of itself not as a world, but as a national religion. Currently, it is practiced by about 17 million people who live both in Israel and in many other countries of the world.

Historically, it was Judaism that was the base on which Christianity began to develop. Jesus Christ was a Jew, and all His activities took place within the then Jewish state, which, however, did not have political independence, but was under the rule of the Romans. Jesus spoke Aramaic, that is, one of the dialects of the Hebrew language, performed the customs of the Jewish religion. For some time, Christianity remained somewhat dependent on Judaism. In science, there is even a term “Judeo-Christianity”, which refers to the first decades of the development of the Christian faith, when it was still associated with the Jerusalem temple (we know from the Acts of the Apostles that the apostles attended services in the temple) and the influence of Jewish theology and Jewish ritual on the Christian community.

The turning point for the history of Judaism was the 70th year, when Jerusalem was sacked by the Romans. From that moment begins the history of the dispersion of the Jewish people, which continues to this day. After the capture of Jerusalem, Israel ceased to exist not only as a state, but even as a national community tied to a certain territory.

In addition, Judaism, represented by its religious leaders, reacted very negatively to the emergence and spread of Christianity. We find the origins of this conflict already in the controversy of Jesus Christ with the Jews and their religious leaders - the Pharisees, whom He severely criticized and who treated Him with an extreme degree of hostility. It was the religious leaders of the Israeli people who secured the Savior's condemnation to death on the cross.

The relationship between Christianity and Judaism for many centuries developed in the spirit of controversy and complete mutual rejection. In rabbinic Judaism, the attitude towards Christianity was purely negative.

Meanwhile, among Jews and Christians, a significant part of the Holy Scriptures is common. All that we call the Old Testament, with the exception of some of the later books, is also Holy Scripture for the Jewish tradition. In this sense, Christians and Jews retain a certain unified doctrinal basis, on the basis of which theology was built in both religious traditions. But the development of Jewish theology was associated with the appearance of new books - these are the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds, the Mishnah, the Halakha. All these books, more precisely, collections of books, were interpretive in nature. They are based on the Holy Scripture, which is common to Christians and Jews, but they interpreted it differently from those interpretations that have developed in the Christian environment. If for Christians the Old Testament is an important, but not the primary part of the Holy Scripture, which is the New Testament, which speaks of Christ as God and man, then the Jewish tradition of Christ as the God-man rejected, and the Old Testament remains the main holy book.

The attitude towards the New Testament and towards the Christian Church in general among the Jews was sharply negative. In the Christian environment, the attitude towards the Jews was also negative. If we turn to the writings of the 4th century Church Fathers such as John Chrysostom, we can find very harsh statements about the Jews: by today's standards, these statements could be qualified as anti-Semitic. But it is important to remember that they were dictated, of course, not by some kind of interethnic hatred, but by the controversy that has been going on for centuries between representatives of the two religions. The essence of the disagreement lay in the attitude towards Jesus Christ, because if Christians recognize Him as the Incarnate God and the Messiah, that is, the Anointed One about whom the prophets foretold and Whom the Israeli people expected, then the Israeli people themselves, for the most part, did not accept Christ as the Messiah and continue to expect the coming of another messiah. Moreover, this messiah is conceived not so much as a spiritual leader as a political leader who will be able to restore the might of the Israeli people, the territorial integrity of the Israeli state.

It was this attitude that was already characteristic of the Jews of the 1st century, so many of them sincerely did not accept Christ - they were sure that the messiah would be a man who, first of all, would come and free the people of Israel from the power of the Romans.

The Talmud contains many insulting and even blasphemous statements about Jesus Christ, about the Most Holy Theotokos. In addition, Judaism is an iconoclastic religion - there are no sacred images in it: neither God nor people. This, of course, is connected with the tradition dating back to the Old Testament times, which generally forbade any images of the Deity, saints. Therefore, if you go into a Christian church, you will see a lot of images, but if you visit a synagogue, you will see nothing but ornaments and symbols. This is due to a special theological approach to spiritual realities. If Christianity is the religion of God Incarnate, then Judaism is the religion of the Invisible God, Who revealed Himself in the history of the Israeli people in a mysterious way and was perceived as the God of the Israeli people first of all, and only in the second place - as the Creator of the whole world and the Creator of all people.

Reading the books of the Old Testament, we will see that the people of Israel perceived God as their own God, in contrast to the gods of other peoples: if they worshiped pagan deities, then the people of Israel worshiped the True God and considered this their rightful privilege. Ancient Israel did not have at all, just as there is still no in the Jewish religion, any missionary calling to preach among other peoples, because Judaism is thought, I repeat, as the religion of one - Israeli - people.

In Christianity, the doctrine of God's chosen people of Israel was refracted in different epochs in different ways. Even the apostle Paul said that "all Israel will be saved" (Rom. 11:26). He believed that the entire people of Israel would sooner or later come to believe in Christ. On the other hand, already in the theology of the Church Fathers of the 4th century, which, as we remember, was the time of the formation of so many historiosophical concepts within Christian theology, there was an understanding according to which the God-chosen people of Israel ended after they rejected Christ, and moved on to " new Israel, the Church.

In modern theology, this approach has been called "substitutionary theology." We are talking about the fact that the new Israel, as it were, replaced the ancient Israel in the sense that everything said in the Old Testament in relation to the Israeli people already applies to the new Israel, that is, the Christian Church as a multinational God-chosen people, as a new reality, the prototype of which was the old one. Israel.

In the second half of the 20th century, another understanding developed in Western theology, which was associated with the development of interaction between Christians and Jews, with the development of the Christian-Jewish dialogue. This new understanding practically did not affect the Orthodox Church, but found a fairly wide recognition in the Catholic and Protestant environment. According to him, the people of Israel continue to be God's chosen people, because if God chooses someone, then He does not change His attitude towards a person, towards several people, or towards a particular people. Consequently, God's chosenness remains a kind of seal that the people of Israel continue to bear on themselves. The realization of this God's chosenness, from the point of view of Christian theologians adhering to this point of view, lies precisely in the fact that the representatives of the Israeli people turn to faith in Christ, become Christians. It is known that among people who are Jews by ethnic origin, there are many who believed in Christ - they belong to different faiths and live in different countries. In Israel itself, there is a movement "Jews for Christ", which was born in a Protestant environment and is aimed at converting Jews to Christianity.

The hostile attitude of Jews towards Christians and Christians towards Jews has existed for centuries in different countries and even reached the everyday level. It took a variety of, sometimes monstrous forms, right up to the Holocaust in the 20th century, right up to Jewish pogroms.

Here it must be said that in the past, until quite recently, in fact, until the 20th century, as we see from history, contradictions in the religious sphere very often resulted in wars, civil confrontation, and murders. But the tragic fate of the Israeli people, including in the 20th century, when it underwent mass repressions, extermination, first of all, from the Nazi regime, a regime that we cannot in any way consider connected with Christianity, because in its ideology it was anti-Christian, - prompted the world community at the political level to rethink the relationship with Judaism, including in a religious context, and to establish a dialogue with the Jewish religion. Dialogue now exists at the official level, for example, there is a theological commission for dialogue between Christianity and Islam (just a few weeks ago, another session of such a dialogue was held with the participation of representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church).

In addition to this official dialogue, which, of course, is not aimed at rapprochement of positions, because they are still very different, there are other ways and forms of interaction between Christians and Jews. In particular, on the territory of Russia, Christians and Jews lived in peace and harmony for centuries, despite all the contradictions and conflicts that arose at the everyday level. At present, the interaction between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Jewish community of the Russian Federation is quite close. This interaction concerns, first of all, social, as well as moral issues. Here between Christians and Jews, as well as representatives of other traditional faiths, there is a very high degree of agreement.

Well, and the most important thing that, probably, should be said: despite the quite obvious differences in the field of dogma, despite the cardinal difference in the approach to the personality of Jesus Christ, between Jews and Christians, what is the basis of all monotheistic religions remains: the belief in that God is one, that God is the Creator of the world, that He participates in the history of the world and the life of every person.

In this regard, we are talking about a certain doctrinal similarity of all monotheistic religions, of which three are called Abrahamic, because they all go back genetically to Abraham as the father of the Israelite people. There are three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (I list them in order of appearance). And for Christianity, Abraham is a righteous man, and for Christianity, the history of the Israelite people is a sacred history.

If you get acquainted with the texts that are heard at the Orthodox service, you will see that they are all filled with stories from the history of the Israeli people and their symbolic interpretations. Of course, in the Christian tradition, these stories and stories are refracted through the experience of the Christian Church. Most of them are perceived as prototypes of the realities associated with the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, while for the Israeli people they are of independent value. For example, if in the Jewish tradition Easter is celebrated as a holiday associated with the memory of the passage of the Israeli people through the Red Sea and deliverance from Egyptian slavery, then for Christians this story is a prototype of the liberation of man from sin, the victory of Christ over death, and Easter is already thought of as feast of the Resurrection of Christ. There is a certain genetic connection between the two Easters - Jewish and Christian - but the semantic content of these two holidays is completely different.

The common basis that exists between the two religions helps them to interact, conduct a dialogue and work together for the benefit of people even today.

Orthodoxy and Islam

The relationship between Christianity and Islam in history has been no less complex and no less tragic than the relationship between Christianity and Judaism.

Islam appeared at the turn of the 6th and 7th centuries, its ancestor is Muhammad (Mohammed), who in the Muslim tradition is perceived as a prophet. The book that plays the role of Holy Scripture in the Muslim tradition is called the Quran, and Muslims believe that it is dictated by God himself, that every word of it is true, and that the Quran pre-existed with God before it was written down. Muslims consider Mohammed's role to be prophetic in the sense that the words he brought to earth are divine revelation.

Christianity and Islam have a lot in common in terms of doctrine. Just like Judaism, like Christianity, Islam is a monotheistic religion, that is, Muslims believe in the One God, whom they call the Arabic word "Allah" (God, the Most High). They believe that, in addition to God, there are angels, that after the death of people, an afterlife reward awaits. They believe in the immortality of the human soul, in the Last Judgment. There are quite a few other Muslim dogmas that are largely similar to Christian ones. Moreover, both Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary are mentioned in the Quran, and they are mentioned repeatedly and quite respectfully. Christians are called in the Qur'an "People of the Book" and followers of Islam are encouraged to treat them with respect.

The Islamic ritual rests on several pillars. First of all, this is the statement that "there is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet." It is obligatory for all Muslims to pray five times a day. In addition, just like Christians, Muslims have a fast, but Christians and Muslims fast in different ways: Christians abstain from certain types of food on certain days, while for Muslims, fasting is a certain time period called Ramadan, when they do not eat food or even drink water from sunrise to sunset. For Muslims, almsgiving is obligatory - zakat, that is, an annual tax that each of the Muslims with a certain income must pay in favor of their poorer brethren. Finally, it is believed that a faithful Muslim, in the presence of physical and material capabilities, at least once in his life must make a pilgrimage to Mecca, which is called the Hajj.

In Islam and Christianity, as I said, there are many similar elements, but it should be noted that just as Christianity today is divided into different confessions, so Islam is a heterogeneous phenomenon. There is Sunni Islam, to which, according to various estimates, from 80 to 90 percent of all Muslims in the world belong. There is Shiite Islam, which is quite widespread, but mainly in the countries of the Middle East. There are a number of Islamic sects, such as the Alawites, who live in Syria. In addition, in recent times, the radical wing of the Islamic world, Salafism (or, as it is often called now, Wahhabism), has been playing an increasingly important role, including in world politics, which the leaders of official Islam deny as a perversion of Islam, because Wahhabism calls for hatred, aims to create a worldwide Islamic caliphate, where either there will be no place at all for representatives of other religions, or they will become second-class people who will have to pay tribute only for the fact that they are not Muslims.

Speaking about the differences between Christianity and Islam in general, we must understand one very important thing. Christianity is a religion of free choice of this or that person, and this choice is made regardless of where a person was born, what nation he belongs to, what language he speaks, what color of skin he has, who his parents were, and so on. In Christianity there is not and cannot be any compulsion to believe. And besides, Christianity is precisely a religious system, not a political one. Christianity has not developed any specific forms of state existence, does not recommend one or another preferred state system, does not have its own system of secular law, although, of course, Christian moral values ​​had a very significant impact on the formation of legal norms in European states and in a number of other states. continents (North and South America, Australia).

Islam, on the contrary, is not only a religious, but also a political and legal system. Mohammed was not only a religious, but also a political leader, the creator of the world's first Islamic state, a legislator and a military leader. In this sense, in Islam, religious elements are very closely intertwined with legal and political elements. It is no coincidence, for example, that religious leaders are in power in a number of Islamic states, and, unlike Christian ones, they are not perceived as clergymen. Only at the everyday level is it customary to talk about “Muslim clergy” - in fact, the spiritual leaders of Islam are, in our understanding, laymen: they do not perform any sacred rites or sacraments, but only lead prayer meetings and have the right to teach the people.

Very often in Islam, spiritual power is combined with secular power. We see this in a number of states, such as Iran, where spiritual leaders are in power.

Turning to the topic of dialogue between Islam and Christianity, the relationship between them, it must be said that with all the bitter experience of the coexistence of these religions in different conditions, including the history of the suffering of Christians under the Islamic yoke, there is also a positive experience of living together. Here we must again turn to the example of our country, where for centuries Christians and Muslims have lived and continue to live together. In the history of Russia there were no inter-religious wars. We had inter-ethnic conflicts - this explosive potential still persists, which we observe even in Moscow, when in one of the microdistricts of the city one group of people suddenly rebels against another group - against people of a different ethnic origin. However, these conflicts are not of a religious nature and are not religiously motivated. Such incidents can be characterized as manifestations of hatred at the household level, with signs of interethnic conflicts. On the whole, the experience of coexistence of Christians and Muslims in our state for centuries can be characterized as positive.

Today in our Fatherland there are such bodies of interaction between Christians, Muslims and Jews as the Interreligious Council of Russia, chaired by the Patriarch. This council includes leaders of Russian Islam and Judaism. It meets regularly to discuss various socially significant issues related to people's daily lives. Within this council, a very high degree of interaction has been achieved, in addition, religious leaders jointly carry out contacts with the state.

There is also a Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation, which meets quite regularly and in the face of state power represents the common agreed position of the main traditional confessions on many issues.

The Russian experience of interaction between Christians and Muslims shows that coexistence is quite possible. We share our experience with our foreign partners.

Today it is especially in demand precisely because the Wahhabi movement is growing in the countries of the Middle East, North Africa, and in some Asian states, which is aimed at the complete eradication of Christianity and whose victims today are Christians in many parts of the world. We know what is happening now in Egypt, where until recently the radical Islamic party "Muslim Brotherhood" was in power, which smashed Christian churches, set them on fire, killed Christian clergy, because of which we are now witnessing a mass exodus of Coptic Christians from Egypt . We know what is happening in Iraq, where ten years ago there were one and a half million Christians, and now there are about 150 thousand of them left. We know what is happening in those areas of Syria where the Wahhabis are in power. There is an almost complete extermination of Christians, mass desecration of Christian shrines.

The tension that is growing in the Middle East and a number of other regions requires political decisions and the efforts of religious leaders. It is no longer enough to simply state that Islam is a peaceful religion, that terrorism has no nationality or confessional affiliation, because we are increasingly seeing the rise of radical Islamism. And that is why, in our dialogue with Islamic leaders, we are increasingly telling them about the need to influence their flock in order to prevent manifestations of enmity and hatred, to exclude the policy of eradicating Christianity, which is being implemented in the Middle East today.

Orthodoxy and Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion that is also represented in our Fatherland. Buddhism is practiced by a considerable number of people, while this religion, in terms of its doctrinal foundations, is much further from Christianity than Judaism or Islam. Some scholars do not even agree to call Buddhism a religion, since there is no idea of ​​God in it. The Dalai Lama calls himself an atheist because he does not recognize the existence of God as a Supreme Being.

However, Buddhism and Christianity have some similarities. For example, in Buddhism there are monasteries, in Buddhist temples and monasteries people pray, kneel down. However, the quality of the Buddhist and Christian experience of prayer is quite different.

As a student, I happened to visit Tibet and communicate with Tibetan monks. We talked, among other things, about prayer, and it was not clear to me who Buddhists turn to when they pray.

When we Christians pray, we always have a specific addressee. For us, prayer is not just some kind of reflection, some words that we utter, but a conversation with God, the Lord Jesus Christ, or with the Mother of God, with one of the saints. Moreover, our religious experience confirms convincingly for us that this conversation is not conducted only in one direction: by turning questions to God, we receive answers; when we make requests, they are often fulfilled; if we are perplexed and pour it out in prayer to God, then very often we receive admonition from God. It can come in different forms, for example, in the form of insight that occurs in a person when he is looking for something and does not find it, rushes about, turns to God, and suddenly the answer to a question becomes clear to him. The answer from God can also occur in the form of some life circumstances, lessons.

Thus, the entire experience of a Christian's prayer is an experience of interaction and dialogue with a living Being, Whom we call God. For us, God is a Person who is able to hear us, answer our questions and prayers. In Buddhism, however, such a Personality does not exist, so Buddhist prayer is, rather, meditation, reflection, when a person is immersed in himself. All the potential for good that exists in Buddhism, its adherents are trying to extract from themselves, that is, from the very nature of man.

We, as people who believe in the One God, have no doubt that God acts in a very different environment, including outside the Church, that He can influence people who do not belong to Christianity. Recently, I talked with our well-known Buddhist Kirsan Ilyumzhinov: he came to a television program that I host on the Russia-24 channel, and we talked about Christianity and Buddhism. Among other things, he talked about how he visited Athos, stood for six or eight hours in the temple for worship and experienced very special sensations: he called them "grace." This man is a Buddhist, and according to the laws of his religion, he should not believe in God either, but meanwhile, in a conversation with me, he used such words as “God”, “Most High”. We understand that the desire to communicate with the Supreme Being exists in Buddhism too, only it is expressed differently than in Christianity.

There are many teachings in Buddhism that are unacceptable to Christianity. For example, the doctrine of reincarnation. According to Christian doctrine (and both Jews and Muslims agree with this), a person comes to this world only once in order to live a human life here and then move on to eternal life. Moreover, during his stay on earth, the soul unites with the body, the soul and body become one inseparable being. In Buddhism, there is a completely different idea of ​​the course of history, of the place of man in it, and of the relationship between soul and body. Buddhists believe that the soul can wander from one body to another, moreover, that it can move from a human body to an animal body, and vice versa: from an animal body to a human body.

In Buddhism, there is a whole doctrine that a person's actions committed in this life affect his future destiny. We Christians also say that our actions in earthly life affect our fate in eternity, but we do not believe that a person's soul can pass into some other body. Buddhists believe that if a person was a glutton in this earthly life, then in the next life he can turn into a pig. The Dalai Lama, in his book, spoke of a dog who, no matter how much he ate, always found room for another bite. “I think in a past life she was one of the Tibetan monks who starved to death,” writes the Dalai Lama.

In this regard, Buddhism is very far from Christianity. But Buddhism is a good religion. It helps to cultivate the will for good, helps to release the potential for good - it is no coincidence that many Buddhists are calm and cheerful. When I visited Buddhist monasteries in Tibet, I was very struck by the constant calmness and cordiality of the monks. They always smile, and this smile is not worked out, but quite natural, it stems from some kind of their inner experience.

I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that throughout the history of our country, Christians and Buddhists have been peacefully coexisting in different regions for centuries and there is no potential for conflicts between them.

Answers to questions from the audience

- You spoke about the unique experience of the Russian Empire, in which good relations have developed between Muslims and Christians - the main population of Russia. However, the peculiarity of this experience is that there are much more Christians in the country than Muslims. Is there any long and effective experience of good cooperation and good neighborliness in countries where the majority of the population is Muslim?

“Unfortunately, there are far fewer such examples. There is, for example, Lebanon, where until relatively recently there were probably more Christians than Muslims, then they became approximately equal, but now Christians are already in the minority. This state is built in such a way that all government posts are distributed among representatives of different religious communities. Thus, the president of the country is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and so on. This strict constitutional representation of religious communities in government bodies helps to maintain the peaceful coexistence of different religions in the country.

– Are we in Eucharistic communion with Ethiopian Christians, with Egyptian Copts?

- The word "Coptic" means "Egyptian" and therefore indicates ethnicity, not religious affiliation.

Both the Coptic Church in Egypt and the Ethiopian Church in Ethiopia, as well as some others, belong to the family of the so-called pre-Chalcedonian Churches. They are also called Eastern or Oriental Churches. They separated from the Orthodox Church in the 5th century due to disagreement with the decisions of the IV Ecumenical Council (Chalcedon), which adopted the doctrine that Jesus Christ has two natures - Divine and human. These Churches did not accept not so much the doctrine itself as the terminology with which this doctrine was expressed.

The Eastern Churches are now often referred to as Monophysite (from the Greek words μόνος - "one" and φύσις - "nature, nature"), after the heresy that taught that Jesus Christ was God, but was not a complete man. In fact, these Churches believe that Christ was both God and man, but they believe that the Divine and human natures in Him are united into one divine-human composite nature.

Today there is a theological dialogue between the Orthodox Churches and the Pre-Chalcedonian Churches, but there is no communion in the Sacraments between us.

— Could you tell us about the Jewish holidays? Do adherents of Judaism have any sacred rites, and is it acceptable for a Christian to participate in their rites?

— We forbid our believers from participating in the rites and prayers of other religions, because we believe that each religion has its own boundaries and Christians should not cross these boundaries.

An Orthodox Christian may attend a service in a Catholic or Protestant church, but he must not receive communion from non-Orthodox. We can marry a couple if one of the future spouses is Orthodox and the other is Catholic or Protestant, but we cannot marry a Christian with a Muslim woman or a Muslim with a Christian woman. We do not allow our believers to go to prayers in a mosque or synagogue.

Worship in the Jewish tradition is not worship in our sense, because in the Jewish tradition worship itself was associated with the Temple in Jerusalem. When it ceased to exist - now, as you know, only one wall remained from the temple, which is called the Wailing Wall, and Jews from all over the world come to Jerusalem to worship it - a full-fledged worship service became impossible.

A synagogue is a meeting house, and synagogues were not originally perceived as places of worship. They appeared in the period after the Babylonian captivity for those people who could not make at least an annual pilgrimage to the temple, and were perceived rather as public gathering places where sacred books were read. So, the Gospel tells how Christ entered the synagogue on Saturday, opened the book (that is, unfolded the scroll) and began to read, and then to interpret what He had read (see Luke 4:19).

In modern Judaism, the entire liturgical tradition is associated with the Sabbath as the main holy day, the day of rest. It does not involve any sacraments or sacraments, but provides for a common prayer and reading of the Holy Scriptures.

In Judaism, there are also some rites, and the main one is circumcision, a rite preserved from the Old Testament religion. Of course, a Christian cannot participate in this ceremony. Although the first generation of Christians - the apostles - were circumcised people, already in the middle of the 1st century the Christian Church adopted the doctrine that circumcision is not part of the Christian tradition, that a person becomes a Christian not through circumcision, but through baptism.

- From the point of view of modernity, the Apocalypse of St. John the Theologian looks rather ridiculous, because not a single aspect of the evolution of mankind is mentioned there. It turns out that he saw the revelation about the end of the world, but did not see, say, skyscrapers, modern weapons, machine guns. Such statements look especially strange from the point of view of physics, for example, that one third of the sun will close during some kind of punishment. I think that if one third of the sun is closed, then the earth will not have long to live.

- First of all, I note that a person who writes this or that book does it in a certain era, using the concepts accepted at that time and the knowledge that he possesses. We call sacred books divinely revealed, but we do not say that they were written by God. Unlike Muslims who believe that the Quran is a book written by God and dropped from the sky, we say that all the holy books of the Old and New Testaments were written by people here on earth. They wrote about their experience in books, but it was a religious experience, and when they wrote, they were affected by the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle John the Theologian describes what he saw in supernatural visions. He, of course, could not see, much less describe, either skyscrapers or automata, because such objects did not exist then, which means that there were no words to designate them. The words familiar to us - automatic, skyscraper, car and others - then simply did not exist. Therefore, it is natural that there could not be such images in the book of Revelation.

In addition, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that very often in such books, in particular, in the books of the prophets, various symbols were used. And the symbol always has a diverse interpretation, and in each specific era of human development it can be revealed in a new way. The history of mankind shows how biblical Old Testament and New Testament prophecies came true. You just need to understand that they are written in symbolic language.

And I would also like to advise: if you decide to take up reading the New Testament, then start it not from the end, but from the beginning, that is, not from the Apocalypse, but from the Gospel. Read first one Gospel, then the second, the third, the fourth. Then there are the Acts of the Apostles, the epistles. When you read all this, the Apocalypse will become more understandable to you and, perhaps, will seem less ridiculous.

– I often come across the opinion that if a Jew becomes Orthodox, then he stands above a simple Orthodox person, that he rises to a higher level ...

—For the first time I hear about such judgments and I will tell you right away: there is no such teaching in the Church, and the Church does not approve of such an understanding. The Apostle Paul also said that in Christ there is neither Greek nor Jew, neither slave nor free(see Gal. 3:27) - therefore, nationality in moral and spiritual terms does not matter. What matters is how a person believes and how he lives.

Psychology is becoming more popular every day. Now this is not just one of the sciences, it is one of the most relevant practical and applied disciplines that enter our lives: journals on psychology are published, books on near-psychological topics are sold in increasing numbers, many get used to visiting a psychologist regularly. Increasingly, questions about psychology are being asked to our site. We want to acquaint readers with the answers to some of them.

Recently, I have become interested in books on psychology, I would like to know the attitude of the Orthodox Church towards this science.

Hello Igor!

In the Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church, adopted by the Jubilee Council of Bishops in 2000, we read: “XI.5. The Church considers mental illness as one of the manifestations of the general sinful damage of human nature. Highlighting the spiritual, mental and bodily levels of its organization in the personal structure, the holy fathers distinguished between illnesses that developed “from nature” and illnesses caused by demonic influence or resulting from passions that enslaved a person.

In accordance with this distinction, it seems equally unjustified to reduce all mental illnesses to manifestations of possession, which entails the unreasonable performance of the rite of exorcism, and the attempt to treat any spiritual disorders exclusively by clinical methods. In the field of psychotherapy, the most fruitful combination of pastoral and medical care for the mentally ill, with a proper delimitation of the areas of competence of the doctor and the priest.

That is, the Church is for fruitful cooperation with psychology and psychotherapy, provided that the methods of influence and areas of competence are adequately distinguished in accordance with the situation of each person.

Hello, father! In practical psychology, there is a method of directed visualization. When the client presents various images that the psychologist offers. This should improve the client's well-being. Most often these are natural images: to feel the cool water of a stream, the smell of flowers, imagine yourself as a flying butterfly, etc. But it also happens that it is proposed to imagine, for example, a waterfall of light, how it warms, soothes, and then you need to thank this waterfall for help. In my opinion, this is in conflict with Orthodox teaching. Could you explain to what extent the use of this method is justified. Thank you in advance.

Ekaterina, child psychologist.

Christ is Risen!

Your doubts about the legality of using directional visualization in the dialogue option are quite justified. The danger is too great that the spiritual answer to the search in such a state will be given from outside. And precisely from the side of the infernal forces of evil. Although the method itself is very powerful and allows you to deal directly with the subconscious, it is better to use it, especially in children, without dialogue.

Sincerely, priest Mikhail Samokhin.

Many of my acquaintances are passionate about a psychological theory called “Reality Transurfing”, this is a powerful technique that gives the power to create things that are impossible from an ordinary point of view, namely, to control fate at your own discretion. (Quote from the book) But besides this, they also consider this theory close to the Orthodox faith. Our fights are heated. I would like to know your opinion about such teachings, stating that a person can do anything. And also advise me, please, literature on this issue. Thank you in advance. Maria

Hello Maria! The magical methods and presentations of Vadim Zeland's books, in my opinion, have nothing to do with Orthodoxy. Rather, the doctrine of energies, pendulums and the like is closer to occult mysticism. The described visions also have nothing to do with Orthodoxy. As for the preaching of human omnipotence, we read from the Apostle Paul: “I can do everything in Jesus Christ who strengthens me". (Philippians 4:13) There is no place for Christ in the theory of transurfing. And the ideas of human omnipotence without Christ are not only outside Orthodoxy, but are clearly anti-Christian in nature. Sincerely, priest Mikhail Samokhin.

Tell me, please, is Luula Viilm's book “I Forgive Myself” harmful? If yes, please tell me why! Thanks a lot! God bless you! Julia

Hello Julia! Luule Viilma's method only at first glance resembles Orthodox repentance. She considers herself a parapsychologist and clairvoyant. A certain energetic nature of diseases is affirmed. There is no place for God in her concept of forgiveness. Man forgives everything to himself. This is a hidden education of pride and exaltation over others. The danger of this book is that it does not tell lies, but half-truths. The unconditional need for reconciliation with others is elevated to the rank of the pinnacle of spirituality, while Orthodoxy speaks of the need for repentance before God. Of course, this book can also become the first step on the path to true repentance. But, very likely, it can lead to a dead end in energy-parapsychological occult research.

Sincerely, priest Mikhail Samokhin.

Hello! I work as a teacher at a university, I am interested in the psychology of interpersonal relationships. For personal growth, I visit sometimes. I have a question for you. I was offered to take the training “Dance of Life”, i.e. It is clear from the name that a technique will be applied there with the help of dance to reveal the inner potential and bring to the conscious level what is in the soul. I want to ask: how does Orthodoxy regard this kind of action? Is it possible to go to such a training or is it not from God? Looking forward to your reply, thanks in advance. Tatiana

Hello, Tatyana! The training you have named is part of the direction of body-oriented psychotherapy. This is a very interesting psychological method, but it has nothing to do with Orthodoxy. Patristic counseling presupposes the path of repentance and prayer. It seems to me much more direct and effective than the methods of modern psychology. At the same time, participation in such a training is not a sin and can bring some benefit if situations that provoke unchaste thoughts are not allowed during the training.

Sincerely, priest Mikhail Samokhin.

Hello father, I have a question for you: Do you know such a book “Learning to speak in public” written by Vladimir Shahidjanyan? My brother is completely engrossed in this so-called work. As a sister, I worry about him, especially since he will soon have a child.

Personally, I found this book highly suspicious. Since in it the teacher teaches young people who read his books, delusional thinking, and making absurd sentences, asking questions to people who do not know the answer to these questions, for example: where to buy a crocodile or how to get to the theater, although he himself knows how to get to him. Svetlana

Sincerely, priest Mikhail Samokhin.

What is the attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church towards the works of Abraham Maslow, the founder of modern humanistic psychology? Anthony

Hello Anthony!

The attitude towards this or that phenomenon of the Russian Orthodox Church can be expressed only in the resolutions of the Local, Bishops' Councils or the decrees of the Holy Synod, His Holiness the Patriarch. The teaching of A. Maslow does not apply to such problems of Orthodox counseling, for which there are similar general church definitions. Therefore, the opinions of various representatives of the Church may not completely coincide.

The very fact that in his holistically dynamic concept of personality A. Maslow left Freudianism and put forward the idea of ​​self-actualization as a motive for human development deserves respect. The thesis that the transformation of a person into a full-fledged one is the development of higher forms of motivation inherent in a person is in full agreement with Orthodox anthropology. But V. Frankl already noted that Maslow does not imply for a person to go beyond himself in search of the meaning of life. Whereas in Orthodoxy, without such a way out, spiritual development is basically impossible.

The limitation of Maslow's theory is that the self-expression of a person's authentic motivations cannot be the true meaning of life. It is not enough to express motivation. It must be lived, that is, realized. Without prejudice to his spiritual state and to those around him, a person can realize the highest motivations only in the communion with God commanded to him. And only religion, and Orthodoxy in particular, can help a person in this and save him from the many traps that lie in wait on the way.

Sincerely, priest Mikhail Samokhin.

Good afternoon, father. Answer, please, how to relate to the mood of Sytin? They write that even astronauts used them, there was a result. Some of my acquaintances (albeit, non-church people) also felt relief. And I'm afraid of something. Sincerely, Leah.

Hello Leah!

Attitudes, as a method of positive psychology, are used not only by G.N. Sytin, but also by N. Pravdina, Louise Hay and many others. Attitudes are a surrogate for prayer, a kind of persuasion of oneself. It acts as a psychological pain reliever. The danger of such therapy is that the real problem, which often goes back to sin, is not solved, but driven inside.

But the trouble is that it will still manifest itself through another sin, somatic disease or otherwise. Another harm from such a surrogate for an Orthodox person is that he tries to replace prayer with himself, that is, he turns away from the true Physician of our souls and bodies, the Lord Jesus Christ. Sincerely, priest Mikhail Samokhin.

Hello! Father, recently Valery Sinelnikov's books fell into my hands. I have been a church person for over a year now, and I am wary of all non-church literature. In reality, this is quite difficult, because there is still no spiritual experience that would allow one to take it more calmly, so I ask for your help. The fact is that something there is really of interest and can be adopted. But some things cause me doubts, because they do not agree with what I read in church literature. How much attention should be paid to the books of this particular author? Can they be useful? Alexandra

Hello Alexandra!

The danger of the writings of Valery Sinelnikov and other representatives of the school of “positive psychology” (L. Hey, N. Pravdina and others) is that they, like painkillers, drown out spiritual problems with the help of suggestion, without healing their causes, rooted in sins. Instead of saving the soul, a person exalts his pride. Problems are not solved, but driven into the depths of the soul, which then turns into new completely unexpected problems. So they can hardly be spiritually useful to an Orthodox Christian.

Sincerely, priest Mikhail Samokhin.

Father, hello! Today, a lot of literature on psychology is published (for example, books by Andrey Kurpatov and many others) about the relationship between a man and a woman. Tell me, please, can it be useful both for a married person and for a person who has not yet married? Thank you in advance! Alexandra

Hello Alexandra! Unfortunately, in most of these books, including those of Dr. Kurpatov basis relationship between a man and a woman in marriage is the physiology of intimate relationships. From the Orthodox point of view, the family is created for mutual assistance in the salvation of the soul, in everyday difficulties. The fact that a family is, first of all, a union of love, friendship and mutual respect, and only then an intimate union is completely forgotten by modern psychology.

For all the importance of this area of ​​family life, excessive focusing on it alone can mislead a person when thinking about the motives for the actions of a spouse. They are not always to be found in bed.

Sincerely, priest Mikhail Samokhin.

Hello! Marina is writing to you, I am very grateful for your answer and again I turn to you with a question. I am a teacher-psychologist, I work with children from dysfunctional families and orphans. According to my observations, almost all children (and this, of course, has its own reasons) have a very pessimistic outlook on life, they do not see any good in the present or prospects for the future. I would like to help them learn to enjoy life and build positive models for the future. Please tell me how Orthodoxy relates to the techniques of positive thinking, those, of course, that do not have mystical overtones. Thank you in advance!

Hello Marina! The general church judgment, expressed in the documents of the hierarchy, according to the so-called. There is no "positive psychology" due to the fact that it falls under the concept of modern occultism.

As a specialist, you certainly see that the school of positive psychology, creating its affirmations, parodies prayers, transferring them from the sphere of personal communication between a person and God, to some mystically and occultly understood forces of nature. In addition, instead of solving internal problems rooted in the sin of a person or his parents, she offers a simple consolation, a kind of spiritual pain relief. But spiritual contradictions in such a person, opposing oneself to God and the world by this technique, are only “driven” inside.

It is much more fruitful for children to realize the presence of God and His providence in the world, to gain deep love for Him and humility before His will, albeit incomprehensible to us, but always good. This is more complicated than psychological techniques, but it adapts a person to the world without putting rose-colored glasses on him. Unfortunately, faith cannot be taught, it can only be shown. God grant that your sincere personal faith will help orphans to believe. Pray about it and the Lord will help you. Sincerely, priest Mikhail Samokhin.