TV PREACHERS EXPOSED Satanism Pentecostalism New Age

These people ARE DOING THE WORK OF DEVIL.All these pentecostal sects,THE DEVIL WORKS GOOD WITH THEM-They use the name of Jesus and they deceive the naive people.They cannot understand that the devil can and is working with them,The devils can do or predict something.THE DEVIL'S CAN DO FALSE HEALINGS, FOR DECEPTION-LIKE WHEN THE ANTICHRIST COMES.The devil gives and the devil takes it away.if you mess up with this shit,it's difficult to come out.The devils owns you for ever,unless you humble your self and confess your sins to a priest.And you will be free from them.Modern Pentecostals, to justify their use of tongues, refer most of all to St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians (chs. 12-14). But St. Paul wrote this passage precisely because 'tongues' had become a source of disorder in the Church of Corinth; and even while he does not forbid them, he decidedly minimizes their significance. This passage, therefore, far from encouraging any modern revival of "tongues," should on the contrary discourage it‹especially when one discovers (as Pentecostals themselves admit) that there are other sources of speaking in tongues besides the Holy Spirit! As Orthodox Christians we already know that speaking in tongues as a true gift of the Holy Spirit cannot appear among those outside the Church of Christ.

Exorcism in the Orthodox Church

         




THE DOCTRINE OF EVIL

To understand the Orthodox view and practice of exorcism, one must know the Orthodox presuppositions of evil and its doctrine of Satan. The patristic evidence points to the fact that the cause of evil in the world is the devil. The devil was created by God as an angel, who was free, and as a free agent chose to oppose the plan of God. That is, the devil is a fallen angel. Satan is not evil by nature, but by will and action. In Satan there is no truth whatsoever; he is absolute falsehood and deception. Satan is not just a negation or deprivation of good, but a positive force with free will that always chooses evil. The devil has the ability to recognize divine power, as in the incident of recognizing Christ as the Son of God (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-3). Satan has under his leadership legions and invisible powers, with their own "satanic teachings." The devil and evil spirits know that God exists and recognize true and devoted Christians, but pious Christians discern the plans of the devil. The devil, however, constantly employs every method of deception to enslave man to satanic forces and causes rebellion against God. He is the cause of corruption and disorder, a parasitic power in the world that will ultimately be destroyed by the power of God in the "last days." Because there is no compromise between God and the devil, the struggle will continue until the end.

The Orthodox doctrine of God is that He is eternal, uncreated and incorporeal. All other creatures, both visible and invisible, were created by God as free. The power of the devil will ultimately be destroyed by the resurrection of the dead and the renewal of creation. Salvation from all evil will be attained by obedience to God and His plan. This world is a battleground between the acceptance of good and evil. It must be pointed out that the world as the creation of God is not evil. What is evil is the satanic power, destroyed by the power of the cross and the resurrection of Christ.

THE ORTHODOX TRADITION OF EXORCISING

After examining the doctrine of Satan in the Orthodox Church, it is imperative to proceed to the method of repelling and exorcising the evil powers. In the New Testament, Christ sent out His apostles to heal and to "cast out devils" (Matt. 10:8, Luke 10:17-20). Christ Himself often expels demons from the possessed (Mark 1:23-27; Luke 4:33-35, 9:43; Matt. 10:1; Mark 16:17; Matt. 7:22). The New Testament, however, rejected popular uses of magic incantations and rites to expel the satanic powers from people, because they took advantage of superstitious religiosity (Acts 19:13).

In the name of Christ, one is able to cast out demons and to destroy the evil powers (Matt. 10:8). The Fathers of the Church accepted this doctrine and expanded on it. Justin Martyr (Apology 85, 2) says that in the name of Christ, the Son of God who was crucified and rose again, every demon that is exorcised is defeated and submits (Library of the Greek Fathers and Church Writers, Athens: Apostolike Diakonia 1955, Vol. 3, pp. 288-89). The satanic powers are destroyed through the power of the cross and the name of Christ. Objects possessed by demons, when exorcised in the name of the living God, are freed from the possession of evil. The patristic evidence is abundant in the belief in possession and expulsion of the devil by the power of the word of God (Ignatios, Epistles to Philippians 3 and 12; Library of the Greek Fathers and Church Writers, Vol. 2, pp. 333 and 336; Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 4:14; Library, Vol 8, p. 82; Origen, Against Celsus, 6:44; Library, Vol. 10, p. 93).

The demonic possession of individuals and even of objects, has been accepted by the Orthodox Church today in the Sacrament of Baptism, in exorcising satanic powers in the case of the evil eye (vaskania), and in exorcising the devil in the case of a possessed person. In the early Church exorcisms were performed by a person especially trained and appointed to pray to drive out evil from those about to be baptized. Since the fourth century the place of the exorcist, as well as other functions and ministries, have been taken over by the priest. The exorcisms are prayers that invoke God to expel evil spirits. The priest prays to expel all evil, the spirit of error, of idolatry, of covetousness, of Iying and every impure act that arises from the teachings of the devil. The renunciation of the devil in baptism is used in every baptism that is performed in the Orthodox Church.

VASKANIA

The exorcism of satanic powers is also performed by the Orthodox Church in other rites, such as that of the evil eye (vaskania).

Vaskania is simply a phenomenon that was accepted by primitive people as fact. They believed that certain people have such powerful feelings of jealousy and envy, that when they looked on some beautiful object or individual it brought destruction. Vaskania is recognized by the Church as the jealousy and envy of some people for things they do not possess, such as beauty, youth, courage or any other blessing. The Church essentially rejected Vaskania as contradicting the concept of divine providence. The prayers of the Church to avert the evil eye are, however, a silent recognition of this phenomenon as a morbid feeling of envy. The Church forbids people to go to "readers" or other individuals for use of magical rituals to overcome the evil eye. These readers take advantage of the weakness of superstitious people and destroy them spiritually and financially by playing upon their imagination.

There is also a secret rite performed by superstitious people to avert the evil eye, which verges on magic. Though the Church encourages even the laity to pray and exorcise evil, it rejects magical practices and rites. This secret rite is described as follows: "The exorcist (not a priest but an old woman) prepares a vial of olive oil and a small glass of water. She dips a finger in the oil, rubs it in a sign of the Cross on the victim's forehead and lets one drop fall onto the water; she repeats the process, making a cross on the forehead, on the chin and both cheeks. If the devil is indeed present, the four drops of oil in the water join to form the ellipsoid shape of an eye. The ritual then calls for the reading of prayers and repeating the four signs of the Cross; the drops of oil will not join in the water, but will disperse."

The possession of individuals by the devil and demonic powers and the cure in the name of Christ is evidenced in the New Testament (Acts 3:2-8, 9:32-42; 20:7-12; Matt. 10:8; Mark 16:17-18). The Church continues in its liturgical rites what Christ enacted in His ministry. The Church recognizes the influence of evil and renounces it in the name of Christ in prayers and fasting. The prayers of exorcism in the early Church were offered by special ministry through the exorcist. This is evidenced from the early prayers that have survived. From the fourth century onwards, the ministry of the exorcist has been fulfilled by the priest.

ORTHODOX PRAYERS OF EXORCISM

All the Orthodox prayer books include prayers of exorcism used by priests to fight the power of evil. The Orthodox Book of Prayers (Euchologion To Mega) includes three prayers of exorcism by Saint Basil and four by Saint John Chrysostom. They are read "for those who suffer from demonic possessions and every other malady." Through these prayers, the devil is exorcised (renounced) "in the name of God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ, and commanded to come out of the victim, who is liberated and redeemed by the eternal God from the energies (powers) of the impure spirits. The great ills that humanity suffers are attributed to the devil and demonic power."

From the Orthodox theological point of view, the following can be considered exorcists:

Christ is the exorcist par excellence for it is He who won the victory over the power of the devil.
Priests in the performance of the holy sacraments and in preaching the word of God follow Christ's example.
All Orthodox Christians are exorcists as they struggle against personal sin and social evil. In fact, "the whole Church, past, present and future, has the task of an exorcist to banish sin, evil, injustice, spiritual death, the devil from the life of humanity." Archbishop Iakovos, in a sermon at the Sage Chapel, Cornell University, spoke on exorcism in the following manner: "Both healing and exorcising are ministered through prayers, which spring from faith in God and from love for man.... All the prayers of healing and exorcism, composed by the Fathers of the Church and in use since the third century, begin with the solemn declaration: In Thy Name, O Lord.' " (Exorcism and Exorcists in the Greek Orthodox Tradition, March 10, 1974.)
In summary, the four prayers of exorcism by Saint John Chrysostom and the three of Saint Basil ask in the name of God to deliver the possessed from the captivity of the devil. Some can be healed by faith accompanied by fasting and purification. The use of exorcism must be made with discretion and great care. (For details, see G. Papademetriou, "Exorcism and the Greek Orthodox Church," in Exorcism Through the Ages, New York: Philosophical Library, 1974.)

EASTERN CHRISTIANITY

      The Orthodox Church embodies and expresses the rich spiritual treasures of
      Eastern Christianity. It should not be forgotten that the Gospel of Christ
      was first preached and the First Christian communities were established in
      the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. It was in these eastern
      regions of the old Roman Empire that the Christian faith matured in its
      struggle against paganism and heresy. There, the great Fathers lived and
      taught. It was in the cities of the East that the fundamentals of our
      faith were proclaimed at the Seven Ecumenical Councils.

      The spirit of Christianity which was nurtured in the East had a particular
      flavor. It was distinct, though not necessarily opposed, to that which
      developed in the Western portion of the Roman Empire and subsequent
      Medieval Kingdoms in the West. While Christianity in the West developed in
      lands which knew the legal and moral philosophy of Ancient Rome, Eastern
      Christianity developed in lands which knew the Semitic and Hellenistic
      cultures. While the West was concerned with the Passion of Christ and the
      sin of man, the East emphasized the Resurrection of Christ and the
      deification of man. While the West leaned toward a legalistic view of
      religion, the East espoused a more mystical theology. Since the Early
      Church was not monolithic, the two great traditions existed together for
      more than a thousand years until the Great Schism divided the Church.
      Today, Roman Catholics and Protestants are heirs to the Western tradition,
      and the Orthodox are heirs to the Eastern tradition.

      ORTHODOX
      Christians of the Eastern Churches call themselves Orthodox. This
      description comes to us from the fifth century and has two meanings which
      are closely related. The first definition means true teaching. The
      Orthodox Church believes that she has maintained and handed down the
      Christian faith, free from error and distortion from the days of the
      Apostles. The second definition, which is actually the more preferred,
      means true praise. To bless, praise, and glorify God Father, Son, and Holy
      Spirit--is the fundamental purpose of the Church. All her activities, even
      her doctrinal formulations, are directed toward this goal.

      Occasionally, the word Catholic is also used to describe the Orthodox
      Church. This description dating back to the second century, is embodied in
      the Nicene Creed which acknowledges One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic
      Church. From the Orthodox perspective, Catholic means that the Church is
      universal and also that she includes persons of all races and cultures. It
      also affirms that the Church has preserved the fullness of the Christian
      faith.

      It is not unusual for titles such as Greek, Russian and Antiochian to be
      used in describing Orthodox Churches. These appellations refer to the
      cultural or national roots of a particular parish, diocese, or archdiocese.

      DIVERSITY IN UNITY
      The Orthodox Church is an international federation of patriarchal,
      autocephalous and autonomous churches. Each church is independent in her
      internal organization and follows her own particular customs. However, all
      the churches are united in the same faith and order. The Orthodox Church
      acknowledges that unity does not mean uniformity. Some churches are rich
      in history, such as the Church of Constantinople, while others are
      relatively young, such as the Church of Finland. Some are large, such as
      the Church of Russia, while others are small, such as the Church of Sinai.
      Each Church is led by a synod of bishops. The president of the synod is
      known as the Patriarch, Archbishop, Metropolitan, or Catholicos. Among the
      various bishops, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is accorded a
      "place of honor" and is regarded as "first among equals." In America and
      Western Europe, where Orthodoxy is relatively young, there are a number of
      dioceses and archdioceses which are directly linked to one of these
      autocephalous Churches. For example, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese is
      under the care of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. While the
      Archdiocese enjoys a good measure of internal autonomy and is headed by an
      Archbishop, it owes its spiritual allegiance to the Church of Constantinople.

The Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Greek language,
the word for Gospel is Evangelion which means literally "the good news." The
good news of Orthodox Christianity is a proclamation of God's unbounded and
sacrificial love for man kind, as well as the revelation of the true destiny of
the human person. Reflecting on the joyous message of the Gospel, Saint Gregory
of Nyssa wrote in the fourth century: The good news is that man is no longer an
outcast nor expelled from God's Kingdom; but that he is again a son, again God's
subject.

Orthodoxy believes that the supreme treasure which God wishes to share with us
is His own life. Our faith begins with the affirmation that God has acted in
history to permit us to participate in His love and His goodness, to be citizens
of His Kingdom. This conviction is expressed so beautifully in the prayer of the
Liturgy which says: "You have not ceased to do all things until You brought us
to heaven and granted us the Kingdom to come."

The initiation of love of God the Father is perfectly expressed and embodied in
the Person and Ministry of Jesus Christ. The whole purpose of the Incarnation of
the Son of God was to restore humanity to fellowship with God. The great
teachers and Fathers of the Orthodox Church constantly reaffirmed this
conviction by proclaiming that God had become what we are in order that we could
become what He is.

Christ is exalted as our Light and our Life. In His Person there is a unity of
humanity and divinity which each of us is called to share. In His way of life.
there is the model of authentic human life which we are invited to follow. In
His victorious Resurrection, there is liberation for us from all powers which
can keep us from the Kingdom. Through Christ, then, God the Father has
repossessed us and has called us to be His sons and daughters.

THEOSIS
The fundamental vocation and goal of each and every person is to share in the
life of God. We have been created by God to live in fellowship with Him. The
descent of God in the Person of Jesus Christ has made possible the human ascent
to the Father through the work of the Holy Spirit. Orthodoxy believes that each
Christian is involved in a movement toward God which is known as theosis or
deification.

Theosis describes the spiritual pilgrimage in which each person becomes ever
more perfect, ever more holy, ever more united with God. It is not a static
relationship, nor does it take place only after death. On the contrary, theosis
is a movement of love toward God which begins for each Christian with the rites
of Baptism and which continues throughout this life, as well as the life which
is to come. Salvation means liberation from sin, death, and evil. Redemption
means our repossession by God. In Orthodoxy, both salvation and redemption are
within the context of theosis. This rich vision of Christian life was expressed
well by Saint Peter when he wrote in the early pages of his second Epistle that
we are called "to become partakers of the Divine nature." It was also affirmed
by Saint Basil the Great when he described man as the creature who has received
the order to become a god.

These are certainly bold affirmations which must be properly understood. The
Orthodox Church understands theosis as a union with the energies of God and not
with the essence of God which always remains hidden and unknown. However, the
experience of the Church testifies that this is a true union with God. It is
also one which is not pantheistic, because in this union the divine and the
human retain their unique characteristics. In this sense, Orthodoxy believes
that human life reaches its fulfillment only when it becomes divine.

THE HOLY SPIRIT
The ever-deepening union of each Christian with God is not a magical or
automatic process. While Christ has destroyed the powers of sin, death, and evil
once and for all, this victory must be appropriated by each person in
cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Each person is called to join with the
"lifegiving and liberating Spirit" in realizing the fulness of human life in
communion with the Father. The Holy Spirit is the agent of deification whose
task it is to incorporate us into the life of the Holy Trinity. However, the
Spirit always recognizes our human freedom and invites our active cooperation in
perfecting the "image and likeness of God" with which each of us is created.
Our participation in the life of the Holy Trinity, which we know as theosis,
takes place within the Church. For the Orthodox, the Church is the meeting place
between God and His people. The Holy Spirit and the Church are organically
linked. In the second century, Saint Irenaeus reminded us of this by saying:
"Where the Church is there is the Spirit, and where the Spirit is there is the
Church." The Holy Spirit moves through the life of the Church to reveal our
common humanity in Christ and to unite us with the Father. We acquire the Holy
Spirit through our celebration of the Eucharist and the reception of Holy
Communion, through our participation in the Sacraments, through our discipline
of daily prayer, and through the practice of fasting, all of which result in a
Christ-like life.

The Holy Spirit, Who is honored as the Lord and Giver of life, is manifest in
the life of the Church in order to bring our lives to perfection, and to make us
responsible and loving human beings. The fruit of Worship is the gifts of the
Spirit. In his letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul identified these as: "love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, and
self-control." Certainly, these are the virtues of a Christ-like life. They
testify to the fact that the love of God and the love of neighbor are
inseparable.

THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE CHURCH
The reality of theosis not only bears witness to the love of God who wishes to
share Him self with us but also expresses a very positive view of the human
person. Orthodoxy believes that each person has an intrinsic value and
importance in virtue of his or her unique relationship to God. The human person
is never seen as being totally depraved. The "image of God" which can be
distorted by sin, can never be eradicated. Through the life of the Church, there
is always the opportunity for fulfillment. When the Sacraments are administered,
they are always offered to the individual by name. This action not only reminds
us of the dignity of each person but also emphasizes the responsibility each
person has for his or her relationship to God.

While Orthodoxy recognizes the value of the person, it does not believe that we
are meant to be isolated or self-sufficient. Each person is called to be an
important member of the Church. Orthodoxy believes that one cannot be a
Christian without being a part of the Church. The process of theosis takes place
with the context of a believing community.

To be united with God within the midst of the Church does not mean that our
unique personalities are destroyed. We are not engulfed by an impersonal force
or power. As with all love which is true and valuable, God's love for each of us
respects our personhood. His love is not one which destroys. God's love is one
which reveals, elevates, and perfects our true selves. By entering into the life
of God, we become the persons we are meant to be.

     
      Copyright:  © 1983-1996 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America