Whatever happened to the monastic principle, “Flee familiarity"? In my view, an abbot that uses Facebook and YouTube has no business guiding souls. Orthodox monasticism does not allow for familiarity and socializing. Online social media monks talk too much. A good monk is silent. A good monk never speaks unless spoken to. If he has to respond, it will be brief, to the point, with no manifestation of human passion. Any monk who uses YouTube and social media should not even be in a monastery, because he is not serious about spiritual life and advancement/Theosis. I have a fundamental disagreement with these kind of monks, because they do not genuinely represent the Orthodox monastic tradition. Can you imagine St. John Maximovich, Elder Joseph the Hesychast, St. Silouan the Athonite or any of the Optina Elders being on social media? No way. A true monk who is serious about what he is doing imitates the saints with all his heart. A good monk is traditionally minded. And why is an abbot allowed to be on the Internet and social media but not his monks? As a layman I definitely have my own vices, but as a monk I would never be on social media or the Internet unless my abbot gave me an obedience to. I may come across as judgmental, but my intention is to help these people. I just want them to be good clergy and good monks. By using social media, fake monks are endorsing and promoting the social media culture, and by doing so are minimizing the deleterious spiritual, physical and psychological effects it has on people. These monks lack discernment and have too much of the world in them.
Fake Monks Use Social Media and YouTube
Fake Monks Use Social Media and YouTube
Fake Monks Use Social Media and YouTube
Whatever happened to the monastic principle, “Flee familiarity"? In my view, an abbot that uses Facebook and YouTube has no business guiding souls. Orthodox monasticism does not allow for familiarity and socializing. Online social media monks talk too much. A good monk is silent. A good monk never speaks unless spoken to. If he has to respond, it will be brief, to the point, with no manifestation of human passion. Any monk who uses YouTube and social media should not even be in a monastery, because he is not serious about spiritual life and advancement/Theosis. I have a fundamental disagreement with these kind of monks, because they do not genuinely represent the Orthodox monastic tradition. Can you imagine St. John Maximovich, Elder Joseph the Hesychast, St. Silouan the Athonite or any of the Optina Elders being on social media? No way. A true monk who is serious about what he is doing imitates the saints with all his heart. A good monk is traditionally minded. And why is an abbot allowed to be on the Internet and social media but not his monks? As a layman I definitely have my own vices, but as a monk I would never be on social media or the Internet unless my abbot gave me an obedience to. I may come across as judgmental, but my intention is to help these people. I just want them to be good clergy and good monks. By using social media, fake monks are endorsing and promoting the social media culture, and by doing so are minimizing the deleterious spiritual, physical and psychological effects it has on people. These monks lack discernment and have too much of the world in them.