"He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him." Proverbs 18:13

The primary purpose of this teaching is not only to demonstrate that Orthodoxy is a heretical, antichrist religious cult, but also to demonstrate that if you understand the heresies of the corrupt Catholic cult, you will easily be able to prove the heresies of the Orthodox cult. In summary, this teaching will provide plenty of evidence that:

The debate between Catholicism and Orthodoxy is political, not theological.

The history between Orthodoxy and Catholicism is quite boring, so I will quickly summarize it. Catholicism began in (roughly) 325 A.D. by Constantine, a pagan who merged his pagan ideology with the Bible, and that corrupt hybrid of false beliefs spread itself out over Europe and the Byzantine Empire. (i.e. partially the Middle East and partially western Asia today)
As the Roman Empire expanded, the Caesars discovered that the world was too large to rule over by one entity, and likewise, the Roman Catholic cult learned the same lesson as it became increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain papal rule. As it expanded, other leaders developed, and one of those leaders was Michael Cerularius in Constantinople, who oversaw the Eastern sect of Catholics.

In 1054 A.D., Pope Leo IX (9th) excommunicated Cerularius and the Eastern headquarters, which was the Hagia Sophia temple in Constantinople. This was the beginning of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and although Orthodox cultists will tell you that they are the "true" church, and that their history goes back to the apostles, please note that the Catholic Church claims the same thing, and so does every other false religious cult around the world, including Mormons, Seventh-day Adventists, and Jehovah's Witnesses just to name a few.
(See "Corruptions of Christianity: Mormonism", "Corrruptions of Christianity: Jehovah's Witness", and Corruptions of Christianity: Seventh-day Adventism here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Debates between East and West Catholicism went on for centuries before 1054 A.D., but that year was the official split, more commonly known as "The Great Schism of 1054." The debates between the two sides still continue today, and most of the debate is over the authority of the popes (or lack thereof), and the "Filioque Controversy," which is a ridiculously minor dispute over whether or not the words "and the Son" should be added to the sentences of the Nicene Creed about the Holy Ghost coming from God.
(See Theology Academy, "The Great Schism of 1054: How the Church Became Divided," Jan 7, 2022, retrieved Oct 30, 2024, [https://youtu.be/trMsytBdawc?t=194])

These are small political debates, and I say that because, first of all, there is no man appointed to an office of central leadership over the New Testament church in the Holy Scriptures because the only central leader over all the church is Jesus Christ Himself, and I will cover more details on the corrupt, worldly structure of the Catholic and Orthodox cults later in this teaching. The other absurdity is that both Catholics and Orthodox are fighting over a man-made document, when we Christians simply rely on God's Word rather than man's word, but because Catholicism and Orthodoxy are not Christian, it makes perfect sense why they would bicker for centuries over something so profoundly stupid, or in other words, stupid is as stupid does, no matter how educated they might be.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
-1 Corinthians 2:13

Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own conceit.
-Proverbs 26:5

I have heard some people in the Eastern Orthodox cult frequently say they are "not Catholic," and that is because they are so often called "Catholic" by onlookers. The main question we should consider is: If they are not Catholic, why are they so frequently assumed to be Catholic?

The answer is that if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck: it's a duck. A man can put on a dress, wig, and make up, and identify himself to be a "woman," but it does not change the fact that he is a man, and likewise, Orthodox people can identify as "not Catholic," but that does not change what they are at their core because the root of an evil tree cannot change its roots.

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
-Matthew 7:17-20

The Orthodox religion is interchangable with Catholicism in almost every aspect, and even though Orthodox temples will not receive Catholics into their services because they are sore over their history, Catholics will receive Orthodox into their services because they all believe the exact same things; the only difference being that Orthodox have ever-so-slightly adjusted a few of the occult aspects of their beliefs to make themselves sound like their beliefs are different. (We will cover more on those later.) These religious groups will vehemently argue against my statement, but they have no basis, neither Scriptural nor historical, to argue against me; they can only complain because they do not want to admit the truth, namely, that everything they say and do from a religious standpoint was adopted from the pagan Roman Catholic Church.

For those of you who might be new to this subject, I would NOT advise that you start by studying this teaching, but rather, you should check out my free-to-read book, Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism here at creationliberty.com to get a full understanding of the antichrist nature and heresies of the Catholic Church, and why those who believe and practice what the Catholic Church teaches will end up in hell and the lake of fire. In this teaching, I will be assuming that readers have a general understanding of the antichrist practices of the Catholic Church (e.g. mass/Eucharist, transubstantiation, sacraments, confessionals, indulgences, Marian worship, infant baptisms, etc), and it is important to understand those before going into this topic because Orthodox cultists practice all of the same demonic rituals.

Catholicism & Orthodoxy are identical in nearly every religous aspect.

Before we begin to analyze their doctrine, I want to make sure readers understand that I do not classify myself as a "Protestant" or "Reformer" because most "protestants" today preach a false gospel on salvation (just as the Catholic denominations preach a false gospel), and most "protestant" religions hate what I teach because their church-ianity doctrines are in contradiction to the Scriptures. I am simply a Christian, one who has been born again by the grace of Jesus Christ through repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of sins) and faith, by His shed blood, according to the mercy of God the Father, and the regeneration of my spirit by the Holy Spirit. I find it interesting that Orthodox cultists classify all those who do not ascribe to their corrupt beliefs as "protestant," but are offended when they are classified as "Catholic," while scoffing at all the "Reformers," when by definition, Orthodox cultists are also Reformers because their religion was created based on reforming the Catholic Church.
(Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" & Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

In First Corinthians, Paul condemned denominations (1Co 1:10-13, i.e. the true church of Jesus Christ has no denominations because we are all of the same flock, John 10:16), but they exist because of the wickedness of men who have been led astray into false doctrine. Christian denominations are essentially doctrinal disagreements between churchgoers who claim to be Christians (i.e. it does not mean they necessarily are, but they claim to be), but for the Catholic denominations, their differences are far and few between.

What creates a denomination? Or rather, what are the defining lines between religions? Is a religion or denomination determined by someone simply claiming there is a difference? Or is a religion or denomination determined by what they believe, teach, and practice?

religion (n): a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs
(See 'religion', Random House Dictionary, 2024, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

If we consider the definition of 'religion', simple reasoning tells us that a religion or denomination is determined by the foundational principles underlying what one believes, teaches, and practices. To me, this is a very easy concept to understand, and so I judge someone's faith in their religion based on what they believe and practice, not based on how they identify, and that includes anyone who claims to be Christian, meaning that, I judge whether or not they are of Christ based on what they profess to believe and what they practice.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?... Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
-Matthew 7:15-20

It is common for churchgoers to consider "fruit" to be things like giving food to the homeless, but even worldly charities give food to the homeless. The fruit of the spirit is many things, from charitable works, to faithfulness in the doctrines of Scripture, to the fellowship one keeps, and so all these things must be analyzed, just as one analyzes the look, smell, texture, and taste of the fruit of the tree.

The place I always like to start when analyzing a preacher or ministry is to ask how they claim a man is saved, or how one becomes a Christian according to their religious worldview. The following is from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in an article called "How Are We Saved?" and in it, Orthodox priest Theodore Stylianopoulos gives his personal assessment of what "protestants" teach:
"A large segment of Protestant Christians in the United States are known as Evangelicals. Evangelicals take the Bible seriously. They center their lives on the evangelion (the gospel)--the good news of salvation. They often talk about personal salvation, about 'how you get saved,' and the familiar answer is: Accept Christ as your personal Savior in sincere prayer, ask Him to come into your heart and forgive your sins, and you are saved. You are then put right before God and enjoy a personal relationship with Christ. This event is called 'justification by faith' or more generally 'salvation by faith,' apart from good works. This teaching is based on texts especially from the letters of St. Paul, such as the above (Gal 2:16-20). Many Evangelicals recall the exact date and time of being 'born again' and celebrate it as the foremost event in their lives."
-Theodore Stylianopoulos, "How Are We Saved?" Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Nov 2, 2012, retrieved Oct 15, 2024, [https://www.goarch.org/-/how-are-we-saved-]

Keep in mind, even though I am not "protestant," this Orthodox priest would label me a "protestant" because I am an evangelist. In simple terms, an evangelist (or an "evangelical") is someone who focuses on the gospel and its teachings, whether in writing or vocally, which is the work that Timothy did alongside Paul, and it is the work that I am doing in the teaching you are now reading:

But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
-2 Timothy 4:5

evangelist (n): a writer of the history, or doctrines, precepts, actions, life and death of our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ; as the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; a preacher or publisher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, licensed [given permission] to preach, but not having charge of a particular church
(See 'evangelist', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 15, 2024, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

A "license" to preach does not mean you need a certification from a church-ianity organization. It just means that you have been given the permission and calling to preach; the permission comes from the Word of God, and the calling is given personally with gifts to teach.

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
-2 Timothy 4:2

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
-Ephesians 4:11-12

Thus, when this Orthodox priest refers to "protestants," we will assume he is referring to me (and other Christians like me) for the sake of this teaching, since he has generalized this classification. I understand that he has not labeled me in particular, but he has made a generalization of "evangelicals" in this article, and then argued against them, so I will be taking his generalizations as a direct argument against myself, and responding to them.

He says that I talk about "personal salvation," and this is a straw man because, if you search my entire website, I never use the phrase "personal salvation" in that context. (I have only used "personal salvation" in that order one time in a book I wrote, but I was referring to a testimony that was personal, not with the word 'personal' used as an adjective modifier.) The phrase "personal salvation" is redundant because salvation is personal by nature, meaning that your salvation is limited to yourself, and not to anyone else (which is not necessarily what Orthodoxy teaches, and we will cover more on that later in their doctrines surrounding purgatory and indulgences), so if something else is meant by "personal salvation" in the context of this priest's article, I do not know what it is because he does not define it.

He says that people like me tell people how to get saved, and say to them: "Accept Christ as your personal Savior in sincere prayer, ask Him to come into your heart and forgive your sins, and you are saved." Of course, he is correct that this is the watered-down gospel of salvation that is preached by many so-called "evangelicals," but I do not preach that unrepentant false gospel because the "repeat-after-me" sinner's prayer does not save anyone.
(Read Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

The Orthodox priest goes on to say:
"We do not judge the sincere convictions of other Christians, lest we be judged, according to the words of the Lord (Mat 7:1)."
-Theodore Stylianopoulos, "How Are We Saved?" Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Nov 2, 2012, retrieved Oct 15, 2024, [https://www.goarch.org/-/how-are-we-saved-]

This is a lie; he does indeed "judge the sincere convictions" of others who claim to be of Christ because if he did not, then he would not need to write these criticisms of what "evangelicals" teach. Thus, he is judging while hypocricially claiming not to judge, and then using Matthew 7:1 as his justification for his hypocrisy, when in the context of Matthew 7:1, Jesus was speaking to hypocrites, or in other words, Jesus was rebuking this hypocritical Orthodox priest:

Judge not, that ye be not judged... Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
-Matthew 7:1-5

Jesus was referring to hypocrites in this passage, which are those who do not judge themselves first BEFORE judging others. This was never meant that we should not judge because people judge things all the time, every day, and we have to judge all day long, or we would literally die.

judge (v): to compare facts or ideas, and perceive their agreement or disagreement, and thus to distinguish truth from falsehood; to discern
(See 'judge', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 15, 2024, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

What people like this Orthodox priest really hate is righteous judgment, which is when his words and actions are revealed by the spotlight of truth by the Word of God. We who are born again the Lord Jesus Christ are supposed to judge matters, first within ourselves, and then to judge others; primarily the words and actions of those who claim to be of Christ:

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
-1 Corinthians 11:31

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? [i.e. we are supposed to] But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
-1 Corinthians 5:11-13

Now that we have pointed out the priest's backwards ideology and misunderstanding of Scripture, he continues to ask:
"But we must ask: is salvation a one-time event in life? What is the role of faith and works in the mystery of our salvation? What does Jesus say? What does St. Paul say? What do we teach about these issues as Orthodox Christians?"
-Theodore Stylianopoulos, "How Are We Saved?" Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Nov 2, 2012, retrieved Oct 15, 2024, [https://www.goarch.org/-/how-are-we-saved-]

The author goes on to acknowledge that faith is an integral part of salvation, saying that "without doubt, faith had a primary place in the life and teaching of Jesus," however, he continued to add:
"But Jesus also demanded good works to go along with faith. A man came up to Him with a question about eternal salvation. 'Teacher,' he asked, 'what good deed (ti agathon) must I do, to have eternal life?' Jesus did not send him away or correct him. He didn't say: 'You are asking the wrong question; you need only to believe in me and you will be saved.' Rather Jesus said to him: 'Keep the commandments'..."
-Theodore Stylianopoulos, "How Are We Saved?" Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Nov 2, 2012, retrieved Oct 15, 2024, [https://www.goarch.org/-/how-are-we-saved-]

I am so glad he decided to refer to this interaction where the rich young ruler questioned Jesus about salvation because this will clearly demonstrate how little Orthodox priests understand about the Gospel of Salvation, and how they are perfectly fused with Catholic teaching. Although this priest only said that Jesus "demanded good works to go along with faith," the Orthodox teaching is the same as Catholic teaching, namely, that they believe you must do works, specifically their religious rituals, to gain salvation.

Let's go to those Scriptures, but in my explanation of them, I will refer to correlating Scriptures that the Orthodox priest does not understand and did not reference to, so we can gain a full understanding:

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
-Matthew 19:16-17

Before we continue, understand that Jesus responded to this young man in three ways, the first of those being rebuke because He corrected the young man for calling Him "good." Of course, we know that Jesus Christ is good, but Jesus did not rebuke him for speaking that truth; rather, He rebuked him for his faithlessness because the young man did not believe that Jesus Christ is God, or in other words, the young man only believed that Jesus was a wise man who was not divine, which means that by calling Jesus "good," he was calling a mortal man "good," and from a spiritual perspective, there is no such thing as a "good man."

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
-Romans 3:10-12

Therefore, in his mind, the young man thought that men were good because of their works, and that is reflected in his question, "what good thing shall I do?" The willingly ignorant Orthodox priest said that "Jesus did not... correct him," but after Jesus corrected him, He then responded in the second way, challenging his fallacious way of thinking by giving him the law:

...but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
-Matthew 19:17-19

If we were to take Jesus' first response in a straightforward manner (without looking at the philosophy of why He said what He said), then we would end up believing that Jesus is not good because He rebuked a man who called Him good, but there was more reasoning behind His words that gives us a better understanding of the Gospel of Salvation. Likewise, if we simply took His second response in a straightforward manner, then we would end up believing that Jesus requires people to follow the good works of the law to be saved, which is not the case.

When the man asked how He was to obtain eternal life, Jesus gave him the law, not to give him a list of deeds to earn his place in the Kingdom of God, but rather, it was to bring him to understanding that he had not—and could not—keep the whole of the law. This is why Paul later wrote that the law was the schoolmaster (i.e. teacher or instructor) that leads us to Christ:

But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
-Galatians 3:23-25

That is, the law gives us instruction, to bring us to understanding of our guilt before God, and at that point, if a man believes he can work his way out of sin, he will start to work as hard as he can to do good works (like Catholic rituals) to get good-boy points for heaven, which can never take away sins. On the other hand, if he believes the truth of the Scriptures, that he is guilty of all the law (Jms 2:10), and that there is no works he can do to cancel out that sin, if he is given the gift of repentance from God (2Ti 2:25), he is brought to his knees in tears of repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of his sin), and in faith, he looks to the Lord Jesus Christ for remission (i.e. pardon/forgiveness) of sins.

For such an high priest [Jesus Christ] became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
-Hebrews 7:26-27

Thus, Jesus attempted to give the young man understanding of his guilt of the law so he would come to repentance of sin, but the young man responded to this by lying about himself, claiming that he had kept the whole of the law:

The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
-Matthew 19:20-22

This leads us to Christ's third response, which was partially to avoid getting into a debate with the young man about his sin (which God has no need to debate with him because such things are self-evident due to the fact that the law of God is written on the hearts of men, Rom 2:15), and the purpose of it was to challenge the young man because, if he truly had kept the law, then charity (which is the culmination of the law and prophets, Mat 7:12) would be at the forefront of his mind. However, the young man's response was to walk away disappointed because his earthly wealth was more precious to him than eternal life.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Charity" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
-Matthew 13:44-46

And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
-Matthew 19:24

So in short, it was not the young man's works, or lack thereof, which kept him from the Kingdom of Heaven, but rather, it was his lack of faith and lack of repentance, understanding of his own guilt before the law. However, that is not what the Orthodox priest believes, as we will soon find out.

The author went on to say:
"Rather than separate faith and works, Jesus closely united the two as being definitive to Christian life."
-Theodore Stylianopoulos, "How Are We Saved?" Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Nov 2, 2012, retrieved Oct 15, 2024, [https://www.goarch.org/-/how-are-we-saved-]

This is a statement I would agree with if I did not already know the heresies this man teaches, and he makes these types of statements because they will deceive people into thinking that he is of Christ. However, we have to keep reading to what he says next because this is the part where he leads people to the wide gates of hell, and not only does he not understand it, he is willingly blind, meaning that he does not care to understand it:
"At the end of the Sermon on the Mount He denounced the kind of faith that is only lip service. He said those who relied only on faith risked the loss of eternal salvation."
-Theodore Stylianopoulos, "How Are We Saved?" Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Nov 2, 2012, retrieved Oct 15, 2024, [https://www.goarch.org/-/how-are-we-saved-]

He then referenced to Matthew 7:21-23 (which is the near-end of the Sermon on the Mount), and I wrote a short book centered around those verses, called Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell, and it is free to read here at creationliberty.com. First, let's read those verses, and then we will compare what is written in the Scriptures to what the Orthodox priest said:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
-Matthew 7:21-23

Although true from a general standpoint, the priest's first sentence about Matthew 7 (i.e. "He denounced the kind of faith that is only lip service") is NOT what this verse is talking about. In fact, he has it backwards, but we have to read it slowly with consideration. At the beginning of this teaching, I quoted the verses proceeding these verses, namely, that we would "know them by their fruits," and so that the fruit of a man is both in what he professes to believe and what he practices.

Notice that Jesus was not addressing their faith in Matthew 7:21-23, even though that is what the priest said he was addressing. The people Jesus was referring to in His teaching were those who believed by faith AND did good works, but they were not of Christ.

This is the conundrum that confuses pastors and priests all over the world, from every religious cult and denomination. These people believed on Jesus, and called him "Lord" because they claimed to have served Him their entire lives. These are the people who went to the Orthodox temple to participate in all their rituals, and volunteered their time to do things for the Orthodox church, and yet, Jesus will still tell them that they worked "iniquity," which is wickedness.

This doctrine is hidden to the Orthodox priest because it takes having one's understanding unlocked by the Holy Ghost to be able to see it clearly (1Co 2:14), and even I could not have understood and explained this without the Spirit of God as the source of all wisdom and knowledge. (Jms 1:5) The priest said that "those who relied only on faith risked the loss of eternal salvation," but is completely blinded to the fact that the people arguing against Christ on the Day of Judgment are using their works as evidence of their eternal salvation, and Jesus rejects them.

The secret of this teaching is not about faith, because even the devils believe and tremble (Jms 2:19), nor is the secret about works, because that is the very thing they are arguing to Christ to justify themselves. Rather, the secret is repentance, which is godly sorrow of wrongdoing; also penitence and contrition, which mean the same thing.

repentance (n): sorrow for any thing done or said; the pain or grief which a person experiences in consequence of the injury or inconvenience produced by his own conduct
penitence (n): repentance; pain; sorrow or grief of heart for sins or offenses; contrition
contrite (adj): broken-hearted for sin; deeply affected with grief and sorrow for having offended God; humble; penitent
(See 'repentance', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 16, 2024, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

God explained to us very simply who He saves and draws near to:

The LORD is nigh [draws close] unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
-Psalm 34:18

Without repentance, there is no saving grace, and to that point, I uncoincidentally wrote a book (which is free to read here at creationliberty.com) called There is No Saving Grace Without Repentance, which explains this in much more detail. The reason these people argue with Christ on the Day of Judgment is because they claim they have faith and works, which they thought made them Christians, but both were pointless because they were never converted (i.e. turned and changed) because without repentance, faith is meaningless (because it is a claim to faith without understanding, Mat 13:15, Mat 13:23), and without repentant faith, works are meaningless.

The Orthodox priest never goes on to explain more about what he meant in Matthew 7. So in summary, he claims the people who were rejected by Christ relied on "faith alone," when the verses clearly indicate that they were arguing for their faith by their works, meaning that the people who are arguing with Christ on that day are men like Orthodox priests, who (for example) will argue that they cast out devils; something they claim to do in their institution, but had no repentance for the remission of sins because they trusted in their own works to save them.
(See George C. Papademetriou, "Exorcism in the Orthodox Church" Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Nov 2, 2012, retrieved Oct 16, 2024, [https://www.goarch.org/-/exorcism-in-the-orthodox-church])

The reason I can confidently say that they do not trust in Christ as they claim is because when someone believes they can be saved by their works, it demonstrates that they have no understanding of the Gospel of Salvation. Their lack of understanding comes from their lack of repentance upon conversion, meaning that they converted without being regenerated because God does not save the proud of heart, who abhor being brought low before God and want to bypass the method of salvation in Scripture to satisfy their own made-up standards.

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
-James 4:6-10

To make sure we understand that the Orthodox priest is relying on his works to save him (as do all Orthodox cultists), he makes reference to the final Day of Judgment:
"Let us also recall the parable about the Last Judgment (Mat 25:31-46). When Christ comes in His glory with all the angels, He will gather all the nations before Him for universal judgment. Everyone will be divided into two groups--the sheep on the right and the goats on the left--before Christ the King. The ones on the right will be blessed and given the inheritance of the eternal kingdom. The ones on the left will be cursed and sent off to eternal fire. What will make the difference? What will be the criterion of judgment? Works of mercy!"
-Theodore Stylianopoulos, "How Are We Saved?" Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Nov 2, 2012, retrieved Oct 15, 2024, [https://www.goarch.org/-/how-are-we-saved-]

Once again, this demonstrates that he does not understand the Scriptures he is reading because he claims that the difference is their works, but let's read those verses carefully:

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
-Matthew 25:31-46

So in this passage, we have the Christians on the right, and the fake Christians on the left. He begins to address them on their works, and to keep this simple, I will only mention the example about feeding the hungry.

To the Christians on the right, Jesus said that they fed him when He was hungry, but they were confused because they responded by saying that they never fed Him. Jesus then points out that because they charitably fed one another, even the lowest among them, it was the same as them feeding the King of Kings.

However, to the fake Christians on the left, notice the drastic difference in response because when He told them they never fed Him, they responded with confusion because they said they had fed Him many times. They had done (what the Orthodox priest called) "works of mercy" many times, but Jesus pointed out that had no love for those who were of Christ, who preached to them the truth; they had never fed them, proving that they were not brethren in Christ, and are sent to hell.

Obviously, both sides believed on Jesus, and both sides did good works, which is a major point that the Orthodox priest completely missed. The difference between them are not "works of mercy" because they both did them, but rather, the difference between them can be found in their response.

We just read from James 4, which tells us we should be humbled before the Lord in tears of godly sorrow, and when a man does this, faith and good works will eventually follow up automatically. We do not do good works to be saved, but rather, we do good works because it is pleasing to our Master and Savior. The Christians on the right had the humility of repentance, in which they did not claim to do anything worthy of Jesus Christ, and yet, they were saved, but the fake Christians on the left, who trusted in their works, answered arrogantly, thinking themselves deserving of the Kingdom of Heaven because they did so much for Jesus, but their pride revealed their hearts, that they thought their works would save them, and they are rejected to hell.

This understanding correlates perfectly with Matthew 7, which we read earlier. Jesus said that they would come to him and argue with him about all the works they did IN HIS NAME, and He rejects them to hell anyway.

The point I am making here is that this Orthodox priest, in the final Day of Judgment, is going to be put on the left with the goats, and argue with Jesus the very things He said the priest would argue. Although they may make additional statements about faith and repentance, Orthodox cultists put their faith in their works to save them, thinking it is a way to obtain grace from God.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
-Ephesians 2:8-9

I would caution readers to beware Orthodox preaching because they are very crafty in their wording, as expected from a nearly thousand-year-old religious cult. They will try to make you think they believe in "grace through faith," when they do not, and we can see an example of this in the works of Orthodox priest Andrew Damick:
"It is only in and through Christ that we can be saved (John 14:6). Salvation cannot be earned. It's a free gift from God. But being saved requires our cooperation with God, because God will not violate our free will. A life of repentance is needed — that's turning away from our sin and toward God. Along with repentance, participation in the sacraments, like baptism and holy communion, is how we cooperate with God."
-Andrew S. Damick, "Salvation," Holy Apostles Orthodox Church, Oct 18, 2024, [https://holyapostles.org/salvation]

So you can see how they start out, as corrupt so-called "Christian" religious cults often do, by telling you they believe salvation is a gift, but then they slide in the requirement that you have to work for it, either to gain it, or to maintain it, otherwise you lose your salvation. It is not possible to lose one's salvation in Christ once it has been given (Rom 8:38-39), but Orthodoxy teaches that not only can you lose it, but they also teach the same thing the Catholic Church teaches, which is that if you do not do enough works, you cannot hold onto eternal life, which means that they believe grace is given through works, namely, their "sacrament" rituals, which contradicts their claim of grace through faith.

And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
-Romans 11:6

In short if a man is on his death bed, having only moments to live, and he wants to be saved, he can come to repentance and faith in Christ in his final moments. However, according to Orthodoxy, if they will be consistent in their teachings, they must tell the man that he is doomed unless he can come to their temple and have a priest perform rituals for him.

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that grace and works cannot coexist in the same context. You cannot claim to have grace BY your works without logical and Scriptural contradiction because the two concepts are antithetical to one another, but Orthodox cultists believe this anyway, and offer no reasoning, nor Scriptural justification, for believing such nonsensical heresy, except appealing to tradition, which is a logical fallacy.

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
-Mark 7:13

And, of course, the Catholic Church teaches the same heresy:
"If any one saith, that the justice [salvation] received is not preserved [maintained] and also increased before God through good works; but that the said works are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained [i.e. your works are a result of saving grace], but not a cause of the increase thereof; let him be anathema."
-Council of Trent, "On Justification," Session VI, Canon XVI, retrieved Mar 28, 2018, [http://thecounciloftrent.com/ch6.htm]; See also James Waterworth, Canons and Decrees of the Sacred and Ecumenical Council of Trent, 2003 Reprint, Kessinger Publishing, Canon #24, p. 47, ISBN: 9780766138414

anathema (n): a person detested or loathed; accursed to damnation or destruction
(See 'anathema', Random House Dictionary, 2024, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

In summary, the Catholic Church said that if you believe that we receive saving grace from Jesus Christ by faith, not of works (as Paul taught in Eph 2:8-9), then you are a heretic damned to destruction. I am happy and blessed to be a heretic against the vile Catholic and Orthodox cults because I put my faith, trust, and hope in Jesus Christ alone, and I will warn all readers: If you put your faith into these antichrist cults instead of Jesus Christ alone, you will not gain entrance to the Kingdom of God.

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
-Galatians 2:16

Damick also said that one must do "the sacraments, like baptism and holy communion," but these are NOT rituals that confer saving grace, they do NOT regenerate the souls of men, and they do NOT impart any kind of mercy or pardon for sins. Orthodoxy teaches that salvation (i.e. the regeneration of the soul by the Holy Ghost) takes place during baptism, which is NOT what the Bible teaches us, but Stylianopoulos went on to use baptism as an example of works unto salvation:
"According to St. Paul, not only loving deeds but also the sacraments of Baptism (Rom 6:1-11) and the Eucharist (1 Cor 10:16-22; 11:23-32) are decisive to salvation. Read carefully Paul's Letter to the Romans, chapters 1-6. Note how often in chapters 1-5 he speaks of faith, the importance of faith, and the blessings that come from faith. But when do all these blessings take place? What is the event at which salvation truly takes hold? Baptism! That's the answer St. Paul gives in Romans, chapter 6."
-Theodore Stylianopoulos, "How Are We Saved?" Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Nov 2, 2012, retrieved Oct 15, 2024, [https://www.goarch.org/-/how-are-we-saved-]

For those of you who have read my book, Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism, you likely know that Catholics often take that which is metaphorical in Scripture and use it literally, which is to have understanding like a child, instead of an adult who understands context and allegory. Orthodox cultists do the same thing because they took their beliefs from Catholicism, and in this instance, the action of baptism (i.e. the submerging of a man into water and resurfacing again) is said to be an act that confers the grace of salvation, which is nonsensical, otherwise, anyone who thought of Jesus while taking a bath could be considered "saved."

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
-Romans 6:1-3

When Paul says "so many" were baptized into Jesus Christ, it is meant that some were baptized in water BEFORE Christ died and raised Himself from the dead (John 2:19-21), like when John the Baptist performed the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. (Mark 1:4) When Paul came to Ephesus, he discovered some followers of Christ living there, but they had not heard of the Holy Ghost, and when he inquired, he discovered they had been "baptized with the baptism of repentance" (Acts 19:2-5) through John the Baptist, which was not wrong in any sense, but they needed to be baptized under Jesus Christ after His death and resurrection, and so in Romans, Paul is referring to those baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ, as opposed to those who believed, but had not yet been baptized in His name.

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
-Romans 6:4

This is obviously referring to the nature of baptism, meaning that it is refering to what baptism represents (i.e. being born again in Jesus Christ), not to the action of being dunked in water in the physical sense, because if it were to be taken literally in this passage, then we would have to be literally buried underground. We know that we are not literally buried in the earth while we are alive, and so this is speaking of what baptism represents, or in other words, baptism is a ritual that is a representation of what takes place in the spirit (not that the action itself cleanses a man), and so we should walk in the newness of life, not as the old man we were before in his wicked deeds. (Col 3:8-10)

The rest of Romans 6 does not mention baptism again, but rather, Paul goes on to talk about us being resurrected in the newness of life, which is obviously meant in the context of our spirits being renewed because our flesh still has to die. Thus, we are "freed from sin" in our spirits, but the flesh still serves "the law of sin" (Rom 7:25), and so the Orthodox priest, in an attempt to turn the works of baptism into a work of salvation, has used these verses outside of their meaning, not understanding the difference between the ritual and the allegory.

allegory (n): a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms
(See 'allegory', Random House Dictionary, 2024, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

For those who trust in the works of religious rituals for their salvation, they will argue from verses in Mark 16:

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
-Mark 16:15-16

Before continuing, I want readers to note that the Bible did NOT say, "he that is not baptized shall be damned." This is why Paul did not accuse the men of Ephesus of being heathen or heretics, but rather, he acknowledged them as believers, but needed to make sure they were baptized in the name of Christ in obedience. Those who come to repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ will get baptized out of obedience to His Word, or in other words, baptism is a result of repentance and faith, not a cause or foundation of it.

Some claim that the purpose of their baptism was that they might receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost, since the men of Ephesus received gifts after their baptism (Acts 19:6), but that was because Paul laid hands on them to give them the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Others will argue that Peter said that the gifts of the Holy Ghost would be given through baptism in Acts 2:

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
-Acts 2:38

Repentance and faith was the cause of their having received grace unto salvation, and the gifts of the Holy Ghost followed that, but obedience to water baptism is simply a representation of what has already been done in our spirits by the baptism of the Holy Ghost, which takes place spiritually, not physically. Notice that later in the book of Acts, Peter spake to men who had the Holy Ghost poured out on them, and they gain the gifts of the Spirit of God:

While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
-Acts 10:44-45

Please take note of the order of events. First, the gifts of the Holy Ghost were given to them, and then Peter invited them to be baptized in the name of Christ, proving that the gifts of the Holy Ghost are not a result of water baptism.

If we say that baptism is the cause of salvation, or even an influential part of it, then we would be teaching a works-based heresy that believes in the absurdity that ordinary water has spiritually regenerative power. Only men with a pagan ideology would be foolish enough to believe that dunking one's head under water could save his soul, but it is unsurprising that Catholic and Orthodox cultists believe it, since they already believe in pagan superstitions like "holy water."

Getting wet does not remit a man's sin, otherwise, all those who drown in water would be automatically saved. It is through blood that remission (i.e. pardon/forgiveness) of sins is given, as the Bible makes very simple:

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
-Hebrews 9:22

Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his [Christ's] blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
-Romans 3:25

Blood gives us atonement, not water.

However, the Orthodox cult believes that a man's sins are washed clean by water baptism, despite the fact that the Bible never teaches this:
"Baptism is not only the entry for the believer into the church; it also washes him clean of all sins prior to his holy baptism, no matter how grievous and frequent they were. Here he must remember the admonition the Lord gave to the paralytic, whom He healed of not only his physical infirmity, but of his sins also... We believe this because baptism is a complete rebirth, where the old man, with his sinful inclinations, dies, and is reborn in the Spirit... Therefore, baptism is necessary for our salvation."
-St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, "Holy Baptism," retrieved Oct 18, 2024, [https://www.orthodox.net/articles/baptism.html]

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia says the same thing:
"Baptism is the gateway into the Christian Church. It is the saving action of God who, through water and the Spirit, recreates His creation."
-Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, "Ceremony of Baptism," retrieved Oct 18, 2024, [https://greekorthodox.org.au/services-and-sacraments/baptism/]

In another article, they add:
"When one enters the baptismal font they are not only cleansed from sin, but also reborn through God's Grace."
-Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, "Sacrament of Baptism," retrieved Oct 18, 2024, [https://greekorthodox.org.au/services-and-sacraments/baptism/]

This includes something called "infant baptism," which is a nonsensical, unbiblical (and borderline child abusive) practice of baptizing babies with oil and water. These children are not reborn (i.e. born again), nor are they saved, by any such practice, and there is no Scriptural argument one could make to force this upon a child who does not have the intellectual capability to consciously understand what is happening.

Since Orthodox cultists believe that one must be physically baptized in water to be saved (i.e. regenerated by the Holy Ghost), I have a curious question for them: How is it that men received the Holy Ghost in Acts 10 before they were baptized? In other words, how did they receive the Holy Ghost before receiving the Holy Ghost to regenerate them?

The Catholic cult has the same doctrinal problem because they teach and practice the same things, and once again, they condemn to damnation and destruction anyone who does not participate in this heresy with them:
"If any one asserts that this sin of Adam, which in its origin is one, and being transfused into all by propagation, not by imitation, is in each one as his own, is taken away either by the powers of human nature, or by any other remedy than the merit of the one mediator, our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath reconciled us to God in his own blood, made unto us righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; or, if he denies that the same merit of Jesus Christ is applied, both to adults and to infants, by the sacrament of baptism rightly administered in the form of the Church; let him be anathema."
-Capdox, "The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent," 5th Session, Canon #3, retrieved Oct 18, 2024, [https://www.capdox.capuchin.org.au/reform-resources-16th-century/sources/the-canons-and-decrees-of-the-council-of-trent/]

The reason I say that Catholics and Orthodox cultists are all antichrist heretics is because their faith is NOT in Christ. They claim they have faith in Christ with their mouths, giving lip service to Jesus, but in their beliefs and practices, they deny Him by turning to their religious works, putting their faith in rituals to make them clean and remit their sin, so they can feel holy.

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
-Matthew 15:8

As I said earlier, blood provides atonement, not water, and one of the major problems with Catholicism and Orthodoxy is that both institutions believe in transubstantiation. This means they believe they must drink literal human blood to maintain eternal life, which is vampirism, and they also believe they must eat literal human flesh for spiritual purposes, which is the general definition of cannibalism.

transubstantiation (n): the changing of the elements of the bread and wine, when they are consecrated in the Eucharist, into the body and blood of Christ
cannibal (n): a person who eats human flesh, especially for magical or religious purposes
vampirism (n): the acts or practices of vampires
(See 'transubstantiation', 'cannibal' & 'vampirism', Random House Dictionary, 2024, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

Catholic cultists, like Orthodox cultists, will enter into their temple, and say a predetermined recipe of words over wafers and wine. These are call and response, repeat-after-me, type "prayers," and Jesus Christ specifically instructed Christians not to do these things because they are vain (i.e. useless/pointless), and He does not heed them.
(See Catholic Resources, "Eucharist Prayers I - IV," retrieved Oct 22, 2024, [https://catholic-resources.org/ChurchDocs/RM3-EP1-4.htm])

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
-Matthew 6:5-7

Both Catholic and Orthodox cultists will respond that they do not pray as the heathen do, but they do this in the exact manner as the heathen. The heathen build altars, the heathen light candles, the heathen repeat their hocus pocus over the object in focus, and the heathen believe their witchcraft will please the gods to give them blessings, and likewise, Catholics and Orthodox do the same thing.

As a side note, the phrase 'hocus pocus' was originally used by illusionists in mockery of the demonic Eucharist and transubstantiation practiced by the Catholic and Orthodox cults. The follow author of a pagan website rightly points out the origin of the phrase:
"'Hocus Pocus' is another well-known phrase, often associated with trickery and illusion. Though now synonymous with stage magic, it was originally used by magicians in the 17th century during performances, possibly derived from the Latin phrase 'Hoc est corpus,' meaning 'This is the body,' which was part of the Christian [i.e. Catholic] Eucharist. Over time, the phrase was adapted into a magical chant, symbolizing the power to deceive or alter perception."
-Witches Lore, "20 Legendary Witch Incantations," Aug 14, 2024, retrieved Oct 22, 2024, [https://witcheslore.com/bookofshadows/rituals-spell-casting/20-legendary-witch-incantations/]; See also 'hocus-pocus', Online Etymology Dictionary, retrieved Oct 22, 2024, [https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=hocus+pocus]

Once again, the Catholic cult condemns to damnation and destruction all those who do not believe that their priests transform the wafer and wine into the LITERAL flesh and blood of Christ for Catholics to consume:
"If any one saith, that, in the sacred and holy sacrament of the Eucharist, the substance of the bread and wine remains conjointly [combined; i.e. as a separate thing that is included together] with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and denieth that wonderful and singular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the Blood-the species Only of the bread and wine remaining-which conversion indeed the Catholic Church most aptly calls Transubstantiation; let him be anathema."
-Council of Trent, "Concerning the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist," First Decree, Canon II, retrieved Oct 31, 2024, [http://thecounciloftrent.com/ch13.htm]

Thus, Catholics perform witchcraft, in that they speak a recipe of words (i.e. "hocus pocus") over wafers and wine, in which they venerate their false pagan goddess they call "Mary" (e.g. "In communion with those whose memory we venerate, especially the glorious ever-Virgin Mary" - see reference below), and they then eat what they believe is LITERAL human flesh, and they drink what they believe is LITERAL human blood, to obtain what they believe is "saving grace." Some Orthodox priests will claim that Orthodoxy does not believe in the hocus pocus of transubstantiation, but most Orthodox priests I have read say that they do believe it just as Catholics do, as the following Orthodox author from Ancient Faith Ministries points out:
"We don't know the exact time in which the change [of transubstantiation] takes place, and this is left to mystery. This view is common among those such as the reposed Fr. Alexander Schmemann and others, although many in the Orthodox tradition will also insist the change does actually take place at the words of institution. The key point of emphasis in the Eastern [Orthodox] tradition, then, is not whether or not a change takes place (even if we can't understand or describe it precisely), but that it does emphatically [absolutely, without doubt] take place."
-Ancient Faith Ministries, "The Doctrine of Transubstantiation in the Orthodox Church," Aug 14, 2013, retrieved Oct 24, 2024, [https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/orthodoxyandheterodoxy/2013/08/14/the-doctrine-of-transubstantiation-in-the-orthodox-church/]


Orthodox cultists get angry with me when I accuse them of performing witchcraft invocations, but that is precisely what they do, and there is no way for them to argue against it, other than to say that it is "different" from witchcraft simply because they claim it is different. The following is from the Orthodox Confession of Faith, by Peter Moghila:
"[A]ttention must be paid that the priest have, at the time of consecration, the intention that the real substance of the bread and the substance of wine be transubstantiated into the real body and blood of Christ through the operation of the Holy Spirit. He makes this invocation when he confects this mystery by praying and saying: 'Send your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts here offered and make this bread the precious body of your Christ, and that which is in this chalice the precious blood of your Christ, changing them by your Holy Spirit.' Transubstantiation occurs immediately with these words, and the bread is transubstantiated into the real body of Christ and the wine into the real blood of Christ, with the visible appearances alone remaining;"
-Peter Moghila, Orthodox Confession of Faith, Metropolitan of Kiev (1633-1647), University of Oregon, retrieved Oct 22, 2024, [https://pages.uoregon.edu/sshoemak/325/texts/peter_moghila.htm]

Some Orthodox cultists have claimed that they do not technically drink blood or technically eat flesh because they believe that transubstantiation happens AFTER the bread and wine is consumed, or in other words, they think that by eating it while it is still technically bread and wine, and having it magically transform after it is already in their stomachs, they are not guilty of cannibalism and vampirism. This is nothing more than a fallacious excuse, thinking that for the body to consume something, it must first pass through the mouth, and that once it is inside a man's belly, it is somehow less disgusting and vile.

Another side note is that Christians ought to beware anyone who makes claims surrounding spiritual/religious rituals, and claiming it is a "mystery." This is the excuse used by eastern mystic religions to keep people from holding them accountable to things they cannot explain, and although there are mystersies in Scripture, which are things beyond our understanding, the Bible has made clear the understanding of baptism and communion, so for Orthodox cultists to call any aspect of their made up beliefs a "mystery" is nothing more than pagan babble intended to get people to accept their absurdities without question.

Thus, it IS true that Catholic and Orthodox alike participate in cannibalism (i.e. the eating of human flesh for religious purposes) and vampirism (i.e. the drinking of blood to maintain eternal life, because they believe in the heresy that men can lose their salvation, so they have to drink blood repeatedly), and they get very upset when I tell them this because, obviously, it is a great embarrassment. They should be embarrassed and ashamed of it, but they pride themselves in these horrific practices under the guise of "holiness," and try their best to justify it, as Moghila attempted to do:
"[B]ecause human nature recoils from the eating of live flesh, yet man should be united to Christ the Lord by the communion of the flesh of Christ the Lord and the blood of Christ the Lord; so that man, therefore, would not turn away, the Lord determined to give his flesh and blood to eat and drink to the faithful under the appearance of bread and wine."
-Peter Moghila, Orthodox Confession of Faith, Metropolitan of Kiev (1633-1647), University of Oregon, retrieved Oct 22, 2024, [https://pages.uoregon.edu/sshoemak/325/texts/peter_moghila.htm]

Let me translate that for you in simple terms: "We know that it is an abominal crime against all that is good to drink the blood and eat the flesh of our fellow men, so God put a spoon full of sugar in it to help the medicine go down." This is one of the most absurd cop-outs I have ever heard. His statement did not justify the eating of human flesh and drinking of human blood, but in some strange pagan ideology, he claims that it is acceptable because it looks and tastes like normal food.

The following image is to help demonstrate the hypocrisy of Orthodox cultists:


This is a Hollywood art show display of a cake made to look like a murdered body covered in blood, which was gladly being sampled by a spirit cooking witch named Marina Abramovic, alongside demonic singer Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta), causing many who looked at this photo to be disgusted because they appear to be eating real human flesh and blood, despite the fact that it is fake. We know that there is likely no one in the Orthodox religion that would put this cake on display in their temples because most of them would be disgusted at the mere sight of this (just as I am disgusted by it as well), but I would like to remind them that it only APPEARS disgusting on the outside because inside it is a delicious cake, and yet, when it comes to eating (what they believe to be) ACTUAL human flesh, and drinking REAL human blood, they find it acceptable and pleasing because they are hypocrites that judge according to APPEARANCE instead of judging righteous judgment.

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24

Because Orthodox do not look to the Word of God in all matters, they overlook the fact that the Bible gives us commandment to abstain from the drinking of blood. This was given in both the Old and New Testaments:

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
-Genesis 9:3-4

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.
-Leviticus 17:11-12

Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
-Acts 15:19-20

Keep in mind that these commandments were made about animals, let alone people. To go further to say that we must eat human flesh and blood in the literal sense is simply an abomination.

Of course, the argument from Orthodox cultists is that Jesus commanded us to do so, but they are blind to the fact that the commandment was to a ritual of representation and metaphor, NOT literal. I have written exposés on a variety of religious cults in my time in ministry, and everyone of them does this same thing, where they will take literal verses metaphorically, and metaphorical verses literally, instead of interpreting the Scripture by the context, according to the instructions God gives us on how His Word should be studied.

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
-Isaiah 28:9-10

It is no secret that the Word of God was not delivered to us with color codes and bullet points. It is purposefully designed in a way that the fullness of a doctrine can only be understood if all the pieces are aligned, and most often, those doctrines are located throughout various books in the Bible. We are to read God's Word "precept upon precept," meaning that we take each commandment in correlation with other commandments, "line upon line" meaning that we need to read it in its context to know how words and phrases should be defined, and "here a little and there a little," meaning that we need to compare Scripture with Scripture and correlate them together to make sure we have the doctrine correct.

The important part of these verses is that God also explained WHY He did it this way:

But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
-Isaiah 28:13

The reason God set it up this way was so that men, specifically false converts, would read and attempt to understand God's Word, but would never be able to fully understand it. They might repeat things they have been told from those who do have understanding, by which they can feign to have understanding, but their minds are locked to full understanding. Therefore, they will be led down false paths, teach false doctrines, and make it easier for us to spot the counterfeit teachers because they would "fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken," which is why the Bible says such men are "ever learning," but never able to gain understanding of God's Word because they have not been born again to receive the Spirit of God.

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power [i.e. authority] thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
-2 Timothy 3:5-7

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
-1 Corinthians 2:14

So even though I can explain these things in very simple terms, easy to be understood, Orthodox cultists cannot understand them because they require the Holy Spirit to unlock their understanding. They can repeat what I have said, they can go forward believing they have understood these things, and not even understand that they do not understand.

However, they will continue to argue, and one of the most common arguments you might see in favor of their demonic, cannibalistic, vampiric Eucharist is from John 6:

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
-John 6:53

This is often cherry-picked by Catholics (and likewise, Orthodox, who are closet Catholics) to convince people to participate in drinking from the cup of devils (and eating from the devil's table, 1Co 10:21), but if we read the Scriptures as the Bible instructed us, we get a new understanding that disproves their false religious practices. Let's begin by going all the way back to verse 26 to cover the basic points so we can understand the context:

Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
-John 6:26-27

So when we read "line upon line," we can see that Jesus was rebuking them for coming to him with the wrong intent, or in other words, they did the right thing, but for the wrong reason, which made it wrong because their hearts were not in the right place. Keep in mind that this took place after Jesus had fed thousands of people by duplicating a few loaves of bread. They came to Jesus because they got free food for their physical nourishment, not because they wanted to hear the truth of the Word of God to gain the spiritual nourishment of everlasting life, or in other words, they were looking for Jesus for the sake of their bellies instead of looking to Him for salvation (Phil 3:18-19), and therefore, He used the bread as a metaphor to himself, not only to explain to them their error, but to show them the correct way they should have been thinking.

In only these two verses, we can very simply establish that the bread is not to be taken literally. The spirit has no need to be nourished by food, and thus, to believe that one can gain spiritual benefit by physically eating food is pagan ideology, which makes sense because Catholicism was pagan from its inception in 325 A.D., and Orthodox follows the same paganism because it is a branch of Catholicism.
(Read Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
-John 6:28

So when they were rebuked, the Jews immediately asked what works they needed to do to be righteous. This is the same works-based folly as Orthodox Catholics because they also believe that they can attain righteousness (or the grace of righteousness) through their works, but Jesus corrected the Jews in the same way I have corrected the Catholics:

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
-John 6:29

When a repentant man (i.e. having godly sorrow of his sins) puts his trust and faith completely in Jesus Christ alone, Christ then becomes his righteousness, and this is the only way that a man can attain righteousness, is by having it imputed to him by Christ. (Rom 4:16-25) Obviously, belief is not work, but Jesus said it in this way to show them that they should not trust in their works for grace and righteousness; not that they should not do good works, but good works are not good and pleasing in the sight of God without the light of Christ in those who perform them.

They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
-John 6:30-31

The Jews claimed they wanted to see the sign of the bread (or manna, Exd 16:35) falling from heaven to prove to them that He was the Christ, but as we learned in the context, that is not why they showed up. They wanted to be fed because they were hungry, and once again, Jesus addresses them on their folly, that they should not prioritize physical nourishment over spiritual, and that He can provide them spiritual sustenance that will last forever.

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
-John 6:32-33

This is obviously a metaphor because Jesus separated the bread of life from the bread that the Jews ate in the wilderness, and for Orthodox Catholics to miss this point demonstrates that they are under the same blindness as the Jews. Let's summarize the context to make sure we understand:

Jesus: "It's not about eating bread, it's about eternal life." Jews: "What works can we do to gain eternal life?" Jesus: "It's by faith, not works." Jews: "What do you have that's better than Moses' manna?" Jesus: "Eternal life." Jews: "Give us that." Jesus: "Trust in my promises."

However, despite the fact that Jesus is telling them they cannot do works to gain eternal life, nor can they eat bread to gain it, and that the bread He is referring to is grace through faith, the Jews (just like the Orthodox Catholics) still think they can eat bread to gain eternal life, and so Jesus just leaned into that metaphor, knowing they would not understand it:

Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
-John 6:34-40

As a side note, when Jesus said that all who "cometh to me I will in no wise cast out," it contradicts the false doctrine of Orthodox and Catholics who believe a man can lose his salvation. Rather, the truth of the Word of God is that there are many false converts, and a massive number of them can be found in the Catholic and Orthodox cults.
(Read "Jesus Said There Are Many False Converts" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Jesus told us that anyone who comes to Him, and who believes on Him, will gain eternal life. This is the premise behind everything else He says in the rest of the chapter, and this is the key point that the Jews, Catholics, and Orthodox cultists have all missed.

He said that all those who "seeth the Son" will have everlasting life, but obviously that cannot be meant in literal sense, and Orthodox cultists must know this because, otherwise, everyone who has not physically seen Christ over the past 2,000 years could not have been saved. This is meant in the sense of seeing Christ for what He is, which means to understand Him, and the only way to do that is by having the Holy Spirit unlock our understanding to see Him clearly. (1Co 2:14) This shows us that Orthodox cultists understand the concept of a metaphor, and will believe it in that way, unless it contradicts their preconceived beliefs, and that is exactly the problem the Jews had as well because, as we are about to see, even though Jesus just told them that everything He was talking about was grace through faith to gain eternal life, they STILL were hung up on the bread.

The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
-John 6:40-46

Jesus pointed out exactly what I just explained, namely, that "seeing the Father" does not mean corporeally. (i.e. concerning the body in physical form) Therefore, "the bread which came down from heaven" is a metaphor for those who gain spiritual nourishment by grace through faith in Christ's Holy Spirit.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
-John 6:47-51

Jesus did NOT give His flesh to be LITERALLY consumed, and that is clear by what He just said, namely, that their fathers ate bread, and are dead, and He will mention that again momentarily. This is a metaphorical representation of Jesus Christ going to the cross, to sacrifice His flesh and blood for our sakes, and that those who put their trust completely in Him (not Christ plus a wordly religious institution; just Him alone) for their salvation will have their souls regenerated by the Holy Ghost according to His shed blood on the cross.

The Jews STILL did not understand this, just as Orthodox Catholics do not understand it, because they were trying to figure out HOW they could eat his LITERAL flesh:

The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying,
How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
-John 6:52

As funny as this is, we have to (once again) remember that without our understanding unlocked by the Holy Spirit, we are blind to this understanding. Therefore, we Christians can explain this to the unbelievers and churchgoers alike, in very simple terms, as I am doing right now, and they STILL will not understand it because we have no power to save anyone, nor give anyone understanding; we can only preach the truth in obedience and wait on the Lord to see what He does.

So because the Jews would not let go of the idea about eating His literal flesh, He spoke to them in what I would call a riddle, which is a puzzling statement made that leaves it up to one's own ingenuity to discover its meaning. However, it is not quite a riddle because He already gave them the answer to it multiple times, and they did not understand, and this speech would serve as a puzzle left unsolved by Jews, and likewise Orthodox Catholics, to this day:

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
-John 6:53-57

The next verse (58) is VERY important, but I am going to pause for a moment to point out that these are cherry-picked verses used by Catholic and Orthodox cultists. The eating of Christ's flesh and drinking of Christ's blood is, as Christ Himself explained, grace through faith in Him, but because Orthodox cultists do not believe that, they remain confused by this puzzle, which is why they call it a "mystery," and I will quote from Orthodox priest Moghila once again:
"[A]ttention must be paid that the priest have, at the time of consecration, the intention that the real substance of the bread and the substance of wine be transubstantiated into the real body and blood of Christ through the operation of the Holy Spirit. He makes this invocation when he confects this mystery by praying and saying [insert magic incantation]... Transubstantiation occurs immediately with these words, and the bread is transubstantiated into the real body of Christ and the wine into the real blood of Christ, with the visible appearances alone remaining;
-Peter Moghila, Orthodox Confession of Faith, Metropolitan of Kiev (1633-1647), University of Oregon, retrieved Oct 22, 2024, [https://pages.uoregon.edu/sshoemak/325/texts/peter_moghila.htm]

This is why that, everytime Catholics of any kind (e.g. Orthodox, Anglican, etc), have no answer to why they do what they do, they will call it a "mystery." A mystery is anything that is kept secret or remains unknown, and therefore, by calling it a "mystery," Catholic and Orthodox cultists are telling you that they do NOT believe Christ's teaching, meaning that, they are telling you they are not Christians without having to directly tell you they are not Christians because they have never been born again to receive the Holy Ghost to have their understanding opened.


And to the final verse:

This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
-John 6:58

The bread that came down from heaven is a metaphor for Jesus Christ. This is not to be taken as if eating bread (or eating literal flesh in the case of Orthodox cannibalistic doctrine) will give a person eternal life (let alone grace at all, which is contrary to the Scriptures, Rom 11:6), and Jesus emphasized that point, namely that it was NOT in the manner which their fathers ate the bread from hand to mouth.

Ultimately, the problem with Orthodox doctrine is the same problem with Catholic doctrine, and that is they believe you must do works to be saved, while at the same time attempting to deceive people about their belief in it. For example, the Holy Apostles Orthodox Church says the following concerning salvation:
"It is only in and through Christ that we can be saved (John 14:6). Salvation cannot be earned. It's a free gift from God. But being saved requires our cooperation with God, because God will not violate our free will. A life of repentance is needed - that's turning away from our sin and toward God. Along with repentance, participation in the sacraments, like baptism and holy communion, is how we cooperate with God."
-Holy Apostles Orthodox Church, "Salvation," retrieved Oct 24, 2024, [https://holyapostles.org/salvation]

This is heresy, but I do want to thank the Orthodox cultists who wrote this for being honest and clearly defining their terms because it helps me to easily expose their heresy. They claim that salvation is in Christ alone and cannot be earned, but then say that salvation REQUIRES cooperation, and they defined cooperation as turning from sin and doing religious rituals, such as baptism and their demonic Eucharist.

require (v): to have need of; to impose need or occasion for; make necessary or indispensable
(See 'require', Random House Dictionary, 2024, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

So let's start from the end of the Orthodox priests' statement, and work backwards: You MUST do these list of works to be saved, but you cannot earn your salvation by doing those works. These two statements are in direct and complete opposition to each other, but they teach it anyway without logical or Scriptural explanation because they know they can deceive people into thinking they are Christians by making a "salvation in Christ alone" type of statement.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass [travel across] sea and land to make one proselyte, [a convert to a religious belief] and when he is made, ye make him twofold [twice] more the child of hell than yourselves.
-Matthew 23:15

At the beginning of this teaching, I pointed out that many people think Orthodox are Catholic when they see them, but that is for good reason, because they are identical in almost every way. One of those ways is in their hierachicial structure, which is summarized in the following article:
"The hierarchy of the Orthodox Church is structured in a way that ensures order and unity among its clergy and faithful. At the top of the hierarchy is the Patriarch or Archbishop, who serves as the spiritual leader of a specific region or jurisdiction. Below the Patriarch are the Bishops, who oversee individual dioceses within the region. Each diocese is further divided into parishes, which are led by Priests. Deacons assist Priests in their duties, while Subdeacons and Readers support the clergy in various ways. The hierarchy also includes Monks and Nuns, who live in monasteries and dedicate their lives to prayer and reflection. Understanding the Orthodox Church hierarchy is essential for members of the faith to grasp the roles and responsibilities of each clergy member. This structure has been in place for centuries and plays a crucial role in maintaining the traditions and teachings of the Church. By recognizing and respecting the hierarchy, Orthodox Christians can strengthen their connection to the Church and its rich history."
-Western Church, "Understanding the Orthodox Church Hierarchy: A Complete Breakdown," June 2, 2023, retrieved Oct 24, 2024, [https://westernchurch.net/churches/understanding-the-orthodox-church-hierarchy-a-complete-breakdown/]

The author stated that last sentence very aptly because it is not that Orthodox cultists can strengthen their understanding and fellowship with Christ, but rather, so they can connect themselves to a corrupt institution, and that institution is Catholicism. Nearly all of the offices listed out in this summary are NOT found in the Scriptures for the New Testament church, but they ARE found in Catholicism.

Please consider the following:

Where is the office of "patriarch" in the New Testament? Where is the office of "priest" in the New Testament? Where is the office of "subdeacon" in the New Testament? Where is the office of "monk" in the New Testament? Where is the office of "nun" in the New Testament?

These things were copied from Catholicism, which is why you do not find them in Scripture. Even for offices like bishop (or elder) and deacon, which ARE found in the New Testament Scriptures (1Ti 3:2, 1Ti 3:8), they corrupt them and make them into things they were never intended to be.

The only offices to oversee the church are local elders (i.e. bishops) and deacons if necessary in the event that there is too much work to be done for the elders to handle. Other than that, there are only the members of the Body of Christ assembled together, which is the church, and they are called to work together to do the good works of Christ and preach His Gospel; there are no other things like "regional bishops" or "parishes" or "diocese" or any other expensive and lofty nonsense practiced by Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

Although Orthodox cultists claim to have a different structure than Catholic cultists, the truth is that Orthodoxy only changed a couple names, but they are identical in nearly every aspect:
Furthermore, as indicated in the above image, Jesus commanded us Christians that we were not to have this type of structure in the church, which is designed after Gentile government:

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
-Matthew 20:25-28

Orthodox cultists have ignored these verses (or tried to reinterpret them apart from their contextual meaning) because they have dedicated themselves to tradition, which was adopted from Catholicism.

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
-Mark 7:13

Any assembly of Christians that does not look like the structure in the image above is going against the commandments of Jesus Christ, and against the example set for us by the early church in Scripture. Everything that Jesus condemned as evil and wrong about what the Jews were doing is exactly what Catholics have done, and because Orthodoxy is a carbon copy of Catholicism, they do the same offenses.

Let's look closely at Matthew 23 to get a better understanding:

Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
-Matthew 23:1-2

The Pharisees were men whose beliefs were very close to the proper interpretation of Scripture, but they were hypocrites. This means that they had a position of religious leadership among the people, just like most pastors and priests we see today, in which they have religious and political clout among the people, and in some regards, they might speak the truth, but they are hypocrites that say one thing, and do another, as Jesus went on to say:

All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
-Matthew 23:3-4

The religious leaders among the Jews, just as Catholics and Orthodox, lay the burden of financial responsibility on other men's shoulders, commanding them to charity, while they live in luxury without lifting a finger. They care only for Christ and their neighbors with their lips. (Mat 15:8)

But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
-Matthew 23:5-6

Catholics and Orthodox do the same thing the Pharisees were doing, in that they did works for the express purpose of being seen doing them, to gain applause from men. (Mat 6:2) A phylactery in this context is a small object worn on the forehead or around the neck, which had a tiny parchment with some Scriptures written on it, used a symbol of their faith, very similar to how Orthodox and Catholics wear a cross symbol around their neck (or draw one on their forehead), and they think if they make it bigger than others, it shows more religious dedication among men.
(The cross symbol is NOT a symbol of Christianity or Christ, and never has been, as clarified in Acts 17:29; Read "Christian Symbols Are Not Christian" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)


The hypocrites Jesus rebuked also enlarged the borders of their garments, to make themselves look more "holy" in the same manner of a peacock, having flowing robes and large hats that distinguish them from the unholy plebs around them. Catholic and Orthodox cultists are no different than the Jews in this regard, nor are they different in the manner of loving the seats of honor in gatherings, and having grand positions of clout in temples.

And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
-Matthew 23:7-12

The reason the Jews, Orthodox, and Catholics all do these things is because they have no interest in being brought low in humility. Their sinful nature makes them want to be glorified among men, and that is why they like fancy titles, because it gives them the respect of person (i.e. sin) that they desire.
(Read "Titles Are Unbiblical in the Church" and "Respecting Persons is Sin" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin,
and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
-James 2:9

And despite the fact that Jesus specifically said NOT to call men "Father" in the spiritual or religious sense, that is exactly what Catholics and Orthodox do in direct violation of His commandments. Obviously, Jesus is not referring to one's biological father, which is the standard use of the term which we must understand to know of the relation between Father and Son. The context of this passage (as we have just read) is concerning religious leadership, and so what Jesus was saying is that those in positions of authority in the church should not be addressed with fancy titles, to repsect persons, nor should they be called "Father" because they are supposed to be humble servants that ought to be opposed to self-glorification.

I looked at various Orthodox websites to find their excuses as to why they call their priests "Father" in opposition to Christ's commandment, and from my perspective, the answers were quite comical. It was a bit surprising to find an assortment of reasons for doing it, ranging anywhere from "tradition" (which is a logical fallacy that has no Scriptural or other historical documentation to back it up) to claiming that they call them "Father" for the purpose of making sure one priest was not different from another.

In case some readers might not believe me, Orthodox priest Lawrence Farley from Orthodox Church in America said:
"It is usually otherwise among the Orthodox and those groups that use the title 'Father' as an honourific for their clergy. Orthodox clergy all dress alike—the same black cassock, the same pectoral cross. Their teaching is the same, so that it scarcely matters whether one goes to Father Lawrence's parish or Father Justin's. The use of common title and of common clerical garb are intended to obscure and impede such personal style as would promote a cult of personality."
-Lawrence Farley, "Call No Man 'Father'," Orthodox Church in America, Nov 3, 2022, retrieved Oct 29, 2024, [https://www.oca.org/reflections/fr.-lawrence-farley/call-no-man-father]

This statement makes no Biblical sense because Jesus did NOT say "call no man your father, unless you have what you think is a justified reason for it." There is also no logical reason for this because the action has no direct impact on the goal, or in other words, one could easily achieve the goal of having similar identity WITHOUT adopting the title "Father" before their name, and so it is a fallacy known as "begging the question" because the answer only leads us back to the original question: Why are you doing that which Jesus commanded Christians not to do?

There is only one commonality I saw between all the articles I read, and that was their claim that 1st Corinthians 4 justifies them to call priests "Father." Once again, Orthodox cultists have cherry-picked a single verse out of context:

For example, Orthodox priest James Guirguis said:
"[H]ere he clearly calls himself 'father' to those Christians at Corinth. It wasn't that He was ignorant of the teaching of Christ. It was that He understood it much better than we do. It [Mat 23:9] was not meant as a hard and fast rule to be blindly followed. It was meant to mold and guide our understanding of reality in Christ. It also pointed to what was lacking within the leadership of the people of Israel at the time of Christ."
-James Guirguis, "Why Do We Call The Priest 'Father'?" pravmir.com, Aug 23, 2022, retrieved Oct 29, 2022, [https://www.pravmir.com/why-do-we-call-the-priest-father/]

For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
-1 Corinthians 4:15

When Paul was explaining this to the Corinthians, it was under the context that 1st Corinthians was written, namely, that there were a bunch of false teachers and false converts who were trying to turn the church away from the Gospel of Christ to their works, (just like Orthodox priests try to turn Christians away from the Gospel to their works in a corrupt institution), and Paul was reassuring the elect of God in their faith, teaching them (in both 1st and 2nd Corinthians) to look at the evidence, rather than listening to the false narrative spun by fake preachers. This was a metaphorical reference to a close relationship, like that had between a father and child, in that (throughout our lives) we have many people teach us things, but we have only one father, or rather, we have only one person who truly cares for our well-being and growth into the successes of adulthood, and likewise, the one who first preached to them the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by which they were saved (i.e. through Christ's grace, not through Paul, as Paul explained in early chapters, 1Co 1:10-17, 1Co 3:5-8) is the one who has the most vested interest in their growth and well-being, just like a father to a son.

This is why Paul said that he wrote those things not to shame them, because the previous verses describe the prideful nature of false teachers, especially in consideration of the sufferings of prison and beatings that Paul and his companions received for preaching the Gospel of Christ, but rather, he wrote this as a "WARNING" against wolves that would spring up among the church. (Acts 20:28-31) Therefore, he requested their consideration of how much he cared for them and sacrificed for them, as a father would do for his own son, so they would not be led astray from the Gospel of Christ that was first preached to them (and which they believed) when they were saved.

The aforementioned Orthodox priest then fools his readers by saying, "here he clearly calls himself 'father' to those Christians at Corinth," but allow me to quote the whole passage, and I want you to read carefully and point out anywhere Paul calls himself "father" in these verses. Please look not only for anywhere Paul calls himself "father," but furthermore, look for any place where he refers to himself as "Father Paul," or tells the church to refer to him as such:

I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
-1 Corinthians 4:14-17

Paul did not say what is being claimed by the Orthodox priest. Of course, the Orthodox priest is using a modern, watered-down version (specfically, the ESV) that says "I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel," which is incorrect to the meaning of the text, and creates a contradiction to the commandments of Christ in Matthew 23:9, which is why I wrote a free-to-read book called Why Christians Should Study the King James Bible, and would encourage Christians to read that.

It is common with arrogant men (who parade themselves as children of light while living in hypocrisy) to take metaphors in the literal sense, and take literal statements in the metaphorical sense. As we can see, this Orthodox cultist does not take the commandments of Christ literally in the context in which they are written, but will take a metaphorical reference Paul made in the literal sense to justify his rebellious, man-made religion.

And please understand that, when I say this, I am not just making an accusation. When I visited the website, Coptic Orhtodox Answers, on this subject, the Orthodox priest on that site overtly stated, "the meaning of Matthew 23 is not to be taken literally," demonstrating once again that Orthodox and Catholics take metaphors literally, and literal statements metphorically.
(See Coptic Orthodox Answers, "Should you address a priest as 'father'?" June 5, 2019, retrieved Oct 29, 2024, [https://copticorthodoxanswers.org/faith-sacraments-theology/should-you-address-a-priest-as-father/])

But Jesus is not done in Matthew 23, because there are many more descriptions that aptly fit the Orthodox cult:

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
-Matthew 23:13

Through their tradition, they keep people from the truth of Christ, meaning that they gatekeep in the sense that they are not entering heaven, and they block others from entering as well. Just by analyzing the demonic Eucharist alone, this can be clearly seen because they tell people that in order to gain God's saving grace, and to maintain eternal life, they must participate in the witchcraft ritual works of cannibalism and vampirism.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
-Matthew 23:14

For example, The Orthodox Church in America is a 501c3 corporation, which is nothing more than an upper-management organization; it is not a group of Orthodox temples. They simply have some higher-ups that issue "official" statements, respond to sexual misconduct allegations, and bunch of other political nonsense, or in other words, it is a group of men that take donations to get overpaid to do a lot public relations nonsense.
(See Orthodox Church in America, "About the OCA," retrieved Oct 29, 2024, [https://www.oca.org/about])

For readers who might not understand, in order to obtain a 501c3 corporated status, one must first sign contractual agreements that Jesus Christ is NOT the head of the church. You must agree that the IRS becomes the head of the church, the pastor (or priest in this instance) becomes the CEO of that corporation, the U.S. military has control over the property and buildings of that corporation, and if any readers are unfamiliar with this, I highly recommend my free-to-read book, 501c3: The Devil's Church.

The above image shows their NET assets, which is AFTER deductions, fees, and costs, and it comes out to $5.2 million in 2020, up to $6.4 million in 2021. Remember, this is NOT an Orthodox church building; it is only a media organizer for Orthodoxy. If you look through the document, you will find that they pay out over $1 million in salaries, and pay the travel and meal expenses of those who work for them, which is all a lot of luxury for what is essentially a human resources department for the Orthodox cult, and please keep in mind, this is just one such organization; there are MANY of these in the United States alone, let alone around the world.
(See The Orthodox Church in America Financial Statements, December, 2020-2021, retrieved Oct 29, 2024, [https://www.oca.org/files/PDF/finances/2021_OCA_audited_financial_statements.pdf])

This only makes sense that there is so riches flowing through Orthodoxy, since they teach storehouse tithing doctirne, which is an Old Testament teaching that is not part of the Covenant of the New Testament. Those who preach tithe are preaching it for the sake of greed, to maintain their lofty paychecks and elaborate temples (as we saw earlier), and because of their abuse of that false doctrine, they are taking money from the poor through coercion, just like the mafia, threatening people with curses if they do not pay.
(Read "Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
-1 Timothy 6:9-11

The concept of having to do works to enter heaven is how cults like Orthodoxy have thrived. It is how they construct all their lofty temples, just like their Catholic counterparts. This is often done in any religious cult (not just Orthodox and Catholic) by preying on widows, who have been granted their husband's resources after his death, but are more susceptible to the manipulative tactics of religious cultists, and are willing to give away their husbands' hard-earned wealth to the vain causes of false religions.

Orthodox have many long repeat-after-me recited "prayers" which they do for show. They have prayers they recite in the morning, prayers before sleep, prayers for the virgin Mary, and prayers for their demonic Eurcharist, all of which are useless poetry that God does not hear.

But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
-Matthew 6:7

Orthodox cultists also have short prayers they speak MANY times in vain repetition. This is not to say that there are not long prayers done for show in Orthodox temples (because they do), but Orthodoxy has something they like to call the "Jesus prayer, " which is essentially, "Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner," and Orthodox cultists are tasked to "say it over and over hundreds of times as part of our daily prayer rule."
(See "Jesus Prayer - Prayer of the Heart," orthodoxprayer.org, retrieved Oct 29, 2024, [https://www.orthodoxprayer.org/Jesus%20Prayer.html])

Not only do Orthodox cultists violate the commandments of Jesus Christ, and care not to consider what He told us with the seriousness it should be taken, but they attempt to reinterpret Scripture for self-justification and self-glorification. The only thing they really take seriously are their own superstitions and preferences, which are not based on the context of Scripture. They state over and over that all they do is for Jesus Christ, but the reality is that all they do is for themselves because their works are done for grace, something which we learned earlier is impossible, and so they do works thinking it will grant them eternal life, rather than doing good works as a result of regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

In all my analysis of Eastern Orthodoxy, I have only found ONE difference from Roman Catholcism. Orthodox cultists do not acknowledge the Pope of the Catholic cultists, nor do they believe in many of the divine claims about him.

Keep in mind that Orthodox cultists will object to that statement, claiming there are all sorts of differences, but either they do not understand their own beliefs, or they do not understand Catholic beliefs. For example, one of the places Orthodoxy claims it is different from Catholicism is on the concept of purgatory, which is an unbiblical, imaginary realm invented by the Catholic cult to help keep brainwashed people dependent on their religious institution for their salvation.


According to Catholics, purgatory is a special place of suffering sinners are sent to instead of hell, and they have to work off all their sin through some vague notion of pain. What specifically that pain is, or how much must be done to "get to heaven," Catholics do not know, cannot explain, and there is no Scriptural backing to any of it.

Orthodox priests will claim they do not believe in purgatory, and although some many not believe in the particular realm called "purgatory," they do believe in the same concept, except they call it "Hades" instead of purgatory. The following is from The Acts and Decrees of the Synod of Jerusalem (or sometimes called The Confession of Dositheus), which was an Orthodox council formed in 1672, and is a highly respected source of doctrinal decrees in Orthodoxy:
"And such as through envolved in mortal sins have not departed in despair, but have, while still living in the body, repented, though without bringing forth any fruits of repentance—by pouring forth tears, forsooth [i.e. indeed or certainly], by kneeling while watching in prayers, by afflicting themselves [i.e. the antichrist practice of "penance"], by relieving the poor, and in fine by shewing forth by their works their love towards God and their neighbor, and which the Catholic Church hath from the beginning rightly called satisfaction—of these and such like the souls depart into Hades, and there endure the punishment due to the sins they have committed. But they are aware of their future release from thence, and are delivered by the Supreme Goodness, through the prayers of the Priests, and the good works which the relatives of each do for their Departed; especially the unbloody Sacrifice availing in the highest degree; which each offereth particularly for his relatives that have fallen asleep, and which the Catholic and Apostolic Church offereth daily for all alike; it being, of course, understood that we know not the time of their release."
-Eastern Orthodox Church, "The acts and decrees of the Synod of Jerusalem, sometimes called the Council of Bethlehem, holden under Dositheus, Patriarch of Jerusalem in 1672," AMS Press, 1969, retrieved Oct 31, 2024, [https://archive.org/details/actsanddecreess00lucagoog/page/n162/mode/2up]

Here again we see the false works-based doctrine on salvation, but notice that if they did not do enough of these works, they have to pay it off over an undetermined amount of time, and it is paid by things like prayers from Orthodox priests, good works from relatives, and participating in the antichrist Eucharist, all of which have to be first declared to be allegedly helping to the souls into made-up purgatory-esque concept. In short, the Eastern Orthodox cult believes in purgatory, but they rename it something else, and then claim they do not believe in purgatory, even though their beliefs are identical to the Catholic cult in all relevant aspects (as we just read by their own admission), and therefore, to say they do not believe in purgatory is nothing short of deception.

Take note specifically that the Orthodox priests must offer up prayers to get souls out of purgatory, and the Catholic cult is well-known for this practice through what they call "indulgences." Once again, Orthodox priests are insistant that they do not practice indulgences, and what is interesting about that claim is that Catholics today also claim they do not practice it, or at least, they do not practice it in the sense that they charge people money for it anymore like they used to, but the reality is that both Catholic and Orthodox cults have practiced indulgences, and both no longer charge money for it due to public outrage over the past three centuries.

This is another way in which they "devour widows' houses" because they first guilt-trip widows into believing that their departed husband, parents, or children are suffering horribly in purgatory. Then, once the widow is tormented by the thought of her loved ones in pain, she hands over her wealth (which was left to her by her husband for her care) to help reduce their time of pain in purgatory, and this was a HUGE money-maker for the Catholic and Orthodox cults, but again, public pressure forced them to abandon payments for indulgences.

Orthodoxy issued what they called "letters," or what I will refer to as "indulgence letters" (that they call "absolution certificates") which were issued by their priests and bishops. Orthodox cultists will insist that they never charged for these indulgence letters, but they did it in a manipulative way because they requested "alms" to be given to the Orthodox temple upon asking for an indulgence letter, which they may have left open-ended for the Orthodox cultist to decide if he/she wanted to give something, and the more they gave the more "spiritual value" the indulgence letter might provide to them in purgatory.

The following quote is from orthodixchristiantheology.com by Orthodox author Craig Truglia:
"[T]he early Church followed the Jewish and Apostolic belief that praying for the dead was efficacious, and that giving alms conferred spiritual benefit on behalf of oneself and others... Canonically, 'indulgences' were nothing more than letters of recommendation from living martyrs (i.e. confessors) asking a bishop not to hold a crime (such as adultery or apostasy) against a living person. This is because apostasy carried with it a great penance. The penance was lessened due to the request, if the bishop was swayed by the document. This practice made sense (as people are often swayed by good recommendations) and it jived with the more corporate nature of early confession which had public confession and penance, with absolution given by a priest."
-Craig Truglia, "What Really Were Orthodox Indulgences?" orthodoxchristiantheology.com, Sept 24, 2023, retrieved Oct 31, 2024, [https://orthodoxchristiantheology.com/2023/09/24/what-really-were-orthodox-indulgences/]

First of all, I do not know what Craig has been smoking, but it must have been quite potent to think that the early church prayed for the dead. I have no argument against the strong possibility that there were pagan cults 2,000 years ago, claming to be "Christian," who prayed for the dead, but there is no indication that the early church did that ANYWHERE in the Scriptures, and the only references that Craig provides are either to absurdly out-of-context verses (like 2Ti 1:16-18, which does not hint or suggest any such thing), or to the Apocryphal books, which are not part of Scripture because of their erroneous, contradictory, and unverified nature, of which even the Levites (i.e. the keepers of the Word of God) rightly rejected as canon.
(To learn more about the problems with the Apocrypha, read Why Christians Should Study The King James Bible here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

However, his referral to the Apocryphal books helps to prove the main point of my argument in this teaching. It is the Catholic cult that has preserved and upheld the Apocryphal books, and Orthodox cultists also use them because they are a Catholic denomination.

The main point to take away from this quote is that it is an open admission to the practice of indulgences by the Orthodox cult, even if only a partial admission. This shows their Catholic nature, in that they held political and religious governing power over people, and bishops could pardon crimes, which often came by the influence of money, or in other words, how could a bishop turn down writing a letter in exchange for a hefty donation?

It amazes me that Orthodox cultists think that they are so different from Catholics, in that their priests have NEVER abused their power. However, whether they believe the priests have abused power or not makes no difference at all because there is nothing in the Holy Scriptures which gives them that power in the first place, meaning that neither cult has any business doing this garbage.

The massive problem is that Orthodox cultists believe that an indulgence letter will give them remission (i.e. pardon/forgiveness) of sins. In other words, they believe their priests and bishops are granted the power to forgive sins, but the Bible tells us that only the Lord God, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit have the power to forgive sins, and thus, such vile beliefs once again make them antichrist heretics.

Although there are many more things which could be mentioned, such as the adoption of pagan and mystic ideologies, and political intrigue, all of which are an anathema against the doctrines of Christ, the purpose of this teaching should be clear by now that Orthodoxy is a carbon copy of Catholicism. Catholics were founded in 325 A.D. based on paganism fused with Bible stories, and that is why, to this day, Orthodox cultists practice so much paganism.

I think it is fitting to end this teaching with a warning to all those who believe and practice the teachings of Eastern Orthodoxy, which turn away from the teachings of Christ. This is the warning Jesus gave at the end of His Sermon on the Mount:

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
-Matthew 7:24-29

To learn more about the Gospel of Salvation in contrast to the false gospel taught by most religious institutions today, please check out my free-to-read book: Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell

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