Chaitanya Jyothi Museum Opening, 2000
RAMANAM
In the Name of The Father, and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit, Amen.
Countrymen,
ORBIS NON SUFFICIT
SOLUS DEUS SUFFICIT
Looking Into the Abyss
Decades of entrenched simony have left ECUSA and other Christian judicatories weak to the point of forcing consolidation of officer corps (clergy rosters) in order to have anyone left who is capable of operating those judicatories. The denominations’ officer corps have diminished almost to zero in terms of the respect they inspire and, causatively, the leadership competence they embody. Numbers appear to be there but authority, which derives from competence and therefore deserved respect, certainly is not.
The motivator of recent ECUSA and [some] Lutheran consolidation is this shortage of officers fit to lead. The shortage is both acute and chronic. Even the autistic ECUSA management are willing to forego some guarded perquisites and subvert the pretense of palpable succession — it was always a pretense — in order, they hope, to maintain cash flow … simonistically.
Church, divinity and theological schools graduate a majority of individuals whose fitness as clergy is close to zero: these are spent, ignorant, irregular and themselves adrift, so thorough is the consequence of a special form of official simony: pederasty. Today, the world is a safer place to live and work in than the church is.
Looking At Resources
There is only one way to correct ecclesiastical abuse and that is penance or detachment by way of the power of light or clarity earned through monastic discipline. Money will not do it. Reorganization will not do it. Only spiritual discipline, which is detachment, can accomplish a church reformation. Pure hearts, pure means.
The monastery is the live battery of the churches as well as of culture. Right now the battery is spent and needing a recharge. Not a replacement, a recharge. This is being done.
The principle resource of the churches is a flock of non-parochial, non-standing and/or non-stipendiary clergy. Many such live today all over the world. Their emotions are non-parochial, their attitudes are non-provincial and, by and large, they are not infected with the virus of simony. Furthermore, they have competencies they could be willing to employ for the welfare of the churches — but not for the wine cellars of the parochial clergy.
Parishes and Dioceses should flood themselves with these emotionally non-parochial clergy. Let them have standing if occasion requires, but keep their condition non-stipendiary. And keep their areas of responsibility (1) specific and (2) coincident with their willingnesses.
Looking For Opportunity
The main duty of the churches is general education.
Historical precedent is clear that the Catholic Churches — Greek, Roman and Anglican — favor private education and oppose general education. This precedent will continue so long as monarchial episcopates dominate the Catholic Churches. Indications are that such episcopates many not long dominate, but a final determination is not in sight on this matter.
Whatever happens there, the world — and rightly — is heading towards the ideal and implementation of general education. The vehicle of electronics, intrinsically distributed and democratic, makes this ideal implementable worldwide at relatively low cost with little environmental disruption.
So the nations themselves are heading to fulfill the main duty of the churches. As Teilhard said, “Cosmogenesis is Christogenesis.” It is a wonderful moment to which to be alive.
Let a flock of non-parochial, non-standing and/or non-stipendiary clergy fill it up with happiness. Practice and support ecumenical monasticism.
Update 1: Why The American Church Should Go Off The Grid
Update 2: The Reformation is over. Protestants won. So why are we still here?
AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA
