Whither Calvinism: or Will the Real Platonists Please Stand Up

Arch. Grigorios Konstantinou

PhD in Theology

Plato and Calvin

            The original impetus for this essay was the proposed defense of Orthodoxy against the rather naive and tendentious series of writings which appeared in the Journal Credenda Agenda (Volume 6, Issue 5). The author at the time proposed, along with the other topics being addressed, a kind of survey of the Calvinist agenda. At the time of the proposal there were only very vague notions about what such an article should try to cover — and that had mainly to do with the extreme factionalism of Protestantism. However, subsequent reflection, coupled with a re-reading of the Credenda articles, has suggested that there are some common themes to be addressed about Protestants in general and Calvinists in particular. Furthermore, as will be suggested, these themes have a common root in Platonic thought and philosophical methodology. This should be a matter of considerable interest inasmuch as it is precisely these people who claim to give the definitive answer to the question of Tertullian: “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” Nothing! They would answer. Indeed, one of the main thrusts of the Credenda articles was the perceived necessity of getting back to the more original and “Hebraic” Christianity of Jesus and St. Paul. Now since Calvinism and all of Protestantism form a system — actually a series of systems — of thought and theology far too rich and varied to be treated exhaustively in an article of this type, we will treat of a few basic issues which, so far as we can see, as outsiders looking in, are central to the protestant experience and Calvinist thought, and are at the same time the most problematical for both those ‘inside’ and those on the outside looking in. Thus, the following topics will be briefly examined: ....

THE INCURABLE “LOVE” OF A JEHOVA’S WITNESS FOR ORTHODOXY

Translated from the original by Chris Tsilikas

The monastery of Agia Lavra

 When I was born my parents converted to Jehovah’s Witnesses. So I was brought up with the beliefs of the Society of Jehovah’s Witnesses. However, I had always had a gap inside me, a doubt, that’s why I used to read everything I found apart from the writings of the Society.

 When I was 17 we immigrated to the USA. But my parents didn’t live there for long; they moved back to Greece 3 years later, leaving me alone there. After a while I got married to a girl who was a Jehovah’s Witness as well. Nevertheless, the gap and the doubt still remained and I couldn’t explain it. They told me that I had to study more and progress in the Society so that my faith could be stronger. I did it all, I studied day and night...

DO JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES STAMP ON IMAGES? NO, BUT THEY BURN THEM!

Translated from the original by Chris Tsilikas

As it is known proverbs are the quintessence of the wisdom of peoples. In a simple sentence the wise nation manages to tell you everything, all the essential things that otherwise would probably need whole pages to be expressed.

Well one of the most famous wise proverbs of our nation is the one saying “There’s no smoke without fire”, which denotes that rumors heard about something or someone might probably have some standing in reality.

DO JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES REFUSE TO TAKE THE ARMS AND TAKE PART IN WARS INDEED?

Translated from the original by Chris Tsilikas

The heresy that is known today as Jehovah’s Witnesses, issues two magazines which mostly contain the doctrine of the heresy. These are the fortnightly “Watchtower” and the monthly “Awake”. Well, in the “Watchtower” of November 1st, 1964, pages 652-653, the Society claims that Jehovah’s Witnesses (the Kingdom ambassadors as they are mentioned in the text) in contrast to the rest of the world refused to take the arms in World War I and for this neutrality they became objects of hatred and persecution:

THE DISTORTED IMAGES OF GOD IN CHRISTIANITY

Translated from the original by Chris Tsilikas

The impression that atheism and unfaithfulness are increasing in our society is widespread among faithful and unfaithful. Of course this is a fact we cannot deny and is partly true.

However, it is time we wonder whether we Christians can actually decline all responsibility or we are partly responsible for that. And perhaps all these atheists and unfaithful may neither be atheists nor unfaithful in essence, but they may actually be looking for a genuine religion and a genuine God! Because as Jean Paul Sartre – the great French philosopher – said “an atheist has an obsession with God and sees his absence everywhere; he can’t even utter a word without pronouncing His name. In short he’s a person with religious beliefs.”

A PROPHET BUT… WHAT “PROPHET”

Translated from the original by Chris Tsilikas

As we all know when Lord was talking to His disciples about His glorious Second Coming, he warned them that false prophets will appear throughout the centuries, who will define the day and the time of His Second Coming. We also know that the Society of Jehovah’s Witnesses “The Watchtower” has proved to be one of the GREATEST FALSE PROPHETS OF ALL ERAS and has additionally turned out to be hilarious with its continuous predictions and contradictions.

So, the Society of “The Watchtower” has said: “Christ will come in…1878, oops… sorry in… 1914 we meant… hm!….. no you didn’t get that right, we said in….. 1925 and of course when we say 1925 we definitely mean in… 1975.”

WORSHIP OF IMAGES – IS IT IDOLATRY OR NOT?

Translated from the original by Chris Tsilikas

We were impelled to writing the following article by the fact that many faithful who happened to have a discussion with followers of several heresies (Jehovah’s Witnesses, Pentecosts, Evangelists, etc) approached us and asked for our help and for clarifications on whether the honors we pay to images, to holy relics, etc. is idolatry or not.

FLYING TOWARDS FREEDOM

Translated from the original by Evdokia Davitidou

This is a great day for the blogspot "Antiairetikos", because we are especially pleased to host a letter from a former Jehovah's Witness, Onisimos Eleftheriadis. In this letter, where he introduces himself, he testifies in a few lines his personal Calvary which he is forced to go through, since he decided to break off all relations with the ruthless - in terms of behaviour against former members - organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, 'Watchtower'. Of course, what dominates the letter of this man, is nothing but fear. That can be easily understood by reading it. Fear, even now.The Church of God, Orthodox Christianity.Welcome back, dear Onisimos. May God keep you safe and strong in this particularly difficult moment of your life, and hopeful in the dark tunnel of "evil" you have to escape from, once and forever.

ECOLOGY AND THE ORTHODOX DOCTRINE

Translated from the original by Chris Tsilikas

The wildfires that broke out last August in Greece and the wildfires that had occurred in August 2007 not only caused great suffering and damage to my country, but they also proved once again how mankind degrades the environment.

So, we have decided to see whether the thought and the teachings of the Great Ecclesiastical Fathers of Eastern Christianity, especially of Basil the Great (known as Basil of Caesarea), of Gregory the Theologian (known as Gregory of Nazianzus) and of John Chrysostom, could be of any help in approaching the environment in a totally different way, so that we would be able – in the long run – to solve the huge Environmental Problems we’re facing today.

CONNECTION OF THE “WATCHTOWER” AND THE “BEAST” OF THE UNITED NATIONS

The book of Watchtower "Revelation - Its Grand Climax At Hand!" p. 247: The United Nations is the "beast" of the Apocalypse!!!

When a few months earlier we started our blogspot, the Watchtower-stop, our basic norm and principle was to include only our own articles and not any other publications. Although this is true today as well, we all know that every norm has its exceptions. And we are about to welcome such an exception in our blogspot today. It’s an article written by an invigorated fighter of heresies, Mr. Efthimios Zoulianitis.

Mr Efthimios Zoulianitis is the publisher and editor of the monthly eight-page magazine “The Fighting Orthodoxy”. In the pages of this magazine readers can find epistles to heretics and especially to “Jehovah’s Witnesses”.