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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A disciple of Truth, April 11, 2006
This review is from: Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future (Paperback)
Eugene, a.k.a. Father Seraphim Rose, was studying for a Master's degree in Chinese language so he could penetrate more deeply into the study of Chinese religion and philosophy when he converted to the Eastern Orthodox Church. Consequently, he understood very well Eastern religious spirituality and its relation to western religion (see "Christ the Eternal Tao"). He was not a bigot. Contrary to the beliefs of many modern people, a bigot is one who holds any opinion ignorantly and inflexibly; it is not intended to refer to those who hold certain currently unpopular opinions. There is more real bigotry in many of these reviews than Father Seraphim ever included in any of his writings. He was not a bigot, but he was enamored of a Truth, and he found the locus of this truth to be contained in the Eastern Orthodox Faith. He never said that there was no truth in other religious traditions. That being said, I understand why those who are outside this faith might have trouble with this book. The truth is, it's not addressed to them, but to the faithful of the Orthodox Church. He is not trying to insult the Charismatic who has learned to love Jesus in that context, or even the Hindu who derives strength and comfort from their religious practice, but to demonstrate the incompatability of these things with the ancient Christian Faith which Orthodox Christians hold, and is a warning to them to hold to the truths of their faith, and not to tolerate having them altered or watered down. The title does not identify Orthodoxy as "The Religion Of The Future", but instead contrasts it to this religion, which is being formed by those who have betrayed the truths of their own faith tradition in order to join with like-minded people in a congregation of those who have ceased to believe in truth. It is not outdated; these things are still with us. Father Seraphim may have believed the Religion of the Future to be more imminent than it actually was, but he wasn't wrong in identifying the components of the system, or the spirit which animates it, which is far from the sober and rigorous spirit of traditional Christianity, and does indeed seem close to the spirituality of the Charismatic movement in its emphasis on emotional expression (and de-emphasis on emotional discipline). Probably the most fascinating part of the book to me was the part where he deals with the UFO phenomenon. Father Seraphim was very well-read in Patristic literature, and was able to identify similarities in the accounts of the struggles of the ascetic Fathers with Demonic deception, and the contemporary activities of UFO's, concluding that they are the same kind of event, adapted to a modern, rather than a pre-modern imagination. I was interested to learn that secular investigators have determined UFO's to be psychic rather than material phenomena; I hadn't known this previously. These things aren't just Father Seraphim's opinions; anyone who holds to the traditional views of the Church will say the same. Father Seraphim differs only in being somewhat more cognizant of contemporary culture, and thereby better suited to present the traditional perspectives to modern readers. The current edition has an epilouge by Father Damascene updating the information contained in the book which is almost as good as the book itself. Reading this book, more than any other single factor, drew me into the Orthodox Church, because I found articulated here an absolute and uncompromising adherence to Truth, very refreshing to one coming from the Rock of Jello which is modern Protestantism. However, I can give only a conditional recommendation. It could be better organised. For those outside the Orthodox Church, realise it is addressed to those in the Church, and read only if you wish to learn of the perspectives of the traditional Orthodox faith without any beating around the bush. Those who are in the Church who think the Church must adapt itself to the currents of prevailing modern opinion are going to hate it, but those who experience the Church as the Faith "once delivered to the Apostles" will find here an unshakable rock of faith, founded on a Truth which transcends the world.
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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A solid foundation in shifting times, March 30, 2000
This review is from: Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future (Paperback)
When first reading this book, I thought much of what Fr. Seraphim (+1982) was writing was extremist or alarmist, but I then began to realize that his arguments aren't trying to catch people in a rush of emotions. They are sober, well thought out, intelligent, and above all loving writings that seriously want to help elevate man above the non-fulfilling hum-drum world of unitarian and new age thought. Read the book with an open mind and prepare to be shaken up...I know I certainly was. Fr. Seraphim's book greatly changed the way I looked at a lot of modern "spirituality," and the dangers incurred in practicing them.
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Needs reworking, update, reassessing -- but still useful, October 7, 2005
This review is from: Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future (Paperback)
I read this book when I first began to inquire into the Orthodox Faith some years ago. My first impressions were not very good, and I perhaps over-reacted in my criticisms of this book. It does have some problems which I will address in a bit. Problems aside, it does have some very valid points on how the modern world makes the Way of Christ difficult to discern, and even more difficult to live. Life in the world is in direct opposition to life in the church. This direct opposition should not be mollified in any way, such as moving a Festal service from Thursday to Saturday in order to allow working people to attend. God has intentionally put difficulties into the church life in order to remind us that we must "work out our salvation" as St. Paul wrote, and that this work is a struggle, not a guided tour. We all struggle alone, but we must use the foundation of the Church and her Mysteries as the basis of our struggle.
Now, the problem with this book is that it attempts to address the increasing popularity of Eastern Mysticism in the modern world today, such as the tradition of Vedantism, Buddhism, Taoism, and so on. Unfortunately, but understandably so, Father Serafim addressed the more high profile teachers who claimed to teach these ancient traditions from the Far East, such as Ramayana, Daisetz T. Suzuki, and so on, without really examing whether these teachers really taught in those ancient traditions or not. Many of the people Father Seafim examines are people who were ostracized by their ancient traditions, and came to West for easy pickings among the gullible and spiritually starved individuals in our culture. They are easy targets to dismiss, but consequentially, do not lend much force to his analysis of these ancient traditions.
I, being an ex-Buddhist monk, could see that Father Serafim did not really strike into the ancient traditions of the Far East at all, but merely pointed out some of the false teachers, with pretty much the same arguments the genuine masters of these traditions had used to help people see them for what they are.
Aside from this problem, Father Serafim makes many excellent points, particularly about the literay and media genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy. I am sure had he lived to see Harry Potter, we would be seeing a revised edition of this work addressing the many evils of the Potter books.
Father Serafim also makes some valid claims about a new trend in the "spiritual industry," syncretism. Many people today are operating from a basis that all religions have some truth to them, but no religion has the entire truth. This basis presupposed that Man is spiritually evolving just as he is progressing in technology, science, medicine, etc. Syncretism attempts to take the best parts of all religions, and propose a new "integrated" religion--what he calls the religion of the future.
As plausible as Syncretism may seem, it is based on an erroneous assumption. The full truth was revealed by the Holy Spirit to the Apostles on the day of Pentecost. This is a hurdle that needs to be overcome, and Father Serafim's astute observations about the shallow spiritual depths offered by Syncretism will help the seeker see the problems in it.
I do recommend this book, but it needs to readdress the sections covering the ancient traditions of the East. Father Serafim's tracts on this topic are probably a reaction to the faddish cults of the 60's and the 70's. Buddhism is more a threat today than it ever was, and it is gaining in popularity now, and people are beginning to drink at the very deep spiritual well it has to offer, a well poisoned by demons.
In Christ.
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