If I wanted to do a satirical rif on the occasional nutty convert to Orthodoxy that we all hear about (but happily is not all that common) there is no way I could have equaled the commentary of Mr. R Michael Warren, a sampling of which can be found here. Unfortunately, I am pretty sure he is serious.
My response can be found near the bottom of the com box.
Update: It has been suggested in a comment that this may be a "false flag" propaganda stunt. I am compelled to admit that the thought had crossed my mind as well. As a rule I have little use for conspiracy theories, but the commentary of Mr. Warren is so over the top and nutty, that it fits like a glove with the caricature that anti-Orthodox Catholics like to paint. Honestly I have never encountered this level of unvarnished polemical idiocy even among the most rabid Old Calendarists. Who knows.
The Gospel Preached to the Patriarch Abraham
5 hours ago
13 comments:
He's a nutter, alright. But how do you know he's a convert?
Fair point. But the name does not suggest Russian.
Yeah... That dude's nuts. Though it is possible he isn't a convert, I seriously doubt it. You can smell this type a mile away. :-)
Thank you for your civility and your thoughtful blog, John. I enjoy it immensely.
Mercifully, Fr. Stephen Freeman over at Glory to God...blog, charitably but firmly cuts these folks off at the pass before they get out of hand. I've noticed that when these folks start up on other Orthodox blogs, thoughtful commentators, one by one, no longer contribute. It's a shame. If Fr. Stephen can exercise control over his blog why can't (won't?) the others?
"Censor" would be a more accurate term than "exercise control".
Iannes - the blog host exercising control (when a commenter can not exercise self-control) could take the form of censor or censure. And why not ? If the commenter doesn't like the blog host's rules then they are welcome to find some other blog where their form of participation is tolerated or start their own blog. It's the same as if someone came to a study group I was hosting at my house and acted like an obnoxious lout and was asked to change his behavior or leave ... if he didn't stop he could be forcibly ejected and he could cry "censorship" all he wants ,but he doesn't have the right to come into my house and break my house rules , then complain about it when he is asked to leave.
Indeed. A blog is an extension of the owner's home/castle. In the case of my blog, it is not a democracy. It is an absolute monarchy and I am the king. I flatter myself in the belief that I am a benevolent despot, generally tolerant of diverse view points. But there are limits. There is no First Amendment here. (See the guidelines for commentary linked in the sidebar.) Those who flout the rules of civilized behavior or who otherwise deliberately abuse my hospitality can (and occasionally have been) shown the door and asked not to return.
Perhaps an evangelical megachurch protestant living in Alaska, surrounded by Russian Orthodox, who wishes to caricature the pro-Russian perspective many of them have.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2015/december-web-exclusive/faces-of-pastorate-michael-warren.html
http://changepointalaska.com/about/pastors-and-staff/bio/michael-warren/
I don't know if they are one and the same, but there is a Michael Warren (without the R first initial) who posts at monomakhos. He is pro-Soviet and praises Lenin and Stalin saying Russia was better under them than the Tsars. The frightening thing is his pro-Soviet posts get overwhelming amounts of likes at that site, whereas those who disagree with him about the demonic Bolsheviks get mostly dislikes.
Anthony
I'm a new convert (ROCOR, 2 years) and to be honest, I didn't understand his comments, they were too incoherent to be comprehended.
I don't want to quote him because he is clearly a lunatic but is it true that a certain church blessed Auschwitz as he writes? This would be a black evil if it is not a slander.
It's not true. It's a reference to UGCC hierarchs blessing formations of the SS Galizien regiment. They were volunteers who fought on the Eastern Front against the Soviets. They also engaged in anti partisan raids and in some cases assisted the einsatzgruppen. It was a mistake, but to elide the Nazis, UGC's etc. is a step too far.
It's a common line of attack against Ukrainian Catholics by pro Communist and ultra nationalist Russians. They call Stepan Bandera a Nazi, but ignore the fact he spent the war in Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. It's a very complicated history and Mr. Warren clearly knows very little (beyond what he's read on "Voices from Russia".
Great blog, John. I read you regularly.
I don't think we should be publicly lampooning this guy. We should seek to understand and correct him (and even ban his more incendiary comments) if he's a real brother in the Faith.
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