www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Icons ... Question from a "Latin"

David,

This still leads to thee great mystery, eho are they under? They seem to affliated with someone, are trying very hard to break into the market for Roman Catholics, including purchasing one of thier monastic complexes. I believe in a catalog of thiers a number of years back they explained their new affliation. It seems with every move they have experienced a split in their group. Even thier outward dress (habit) has changed. Any ideas?

Father Anthony+

Fr Anthony, bless; I don't know. Like I said they are remarkably elusive, given the high profile of their icon business. First they were Hindus, then Old Catholic, then Orthodox, then Gnostic Orthodox, then Coptic, now? Even that list may not be exhaustive nor strictly chronological.
I would note that while their icons- at least the ones I have seen- do not have the Greek inscriptions for "I Am", they do mostly have it in English. Surely that is not objectionable. Mostly their icons are either pretty canonical, or stylized Western images [Our Lady of Grace, for example]. While the style is not appealing to me that has never been my chief criticism of the group.

It is not the style they chose that is the problem, but as in the case of the "I AM", they leave out something that is definitely theological and concerns the depiction as the Lord as our Christ. That definitely is a major detail as to say that he is not the Christ. Most would not pick up on this, but every part of an icon has a specific purpose to teach us with. This would definitely fall in line with gnostic teaching. They seem to be carrying on with their gnostic beliefs in thier products without openly expousing it.

As for their style, it is not anything to rave about, and the only thing that I can say about their product is the exceptional finish they place on their icons. The colors are nothing special, and their prices are are on the high side. Granted everyone needs to make a profit, but the mark up (I have done some mounting myself here) is very high.

It seems that many of the commercial icon print manufactuers these days have some sort of history theologically. I tend for the most part recently to stay away from these places, save my money and and commission an icon that will meet the norms of the church and yet be unique as all icons should be.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

Dear Father Anthony, BLESS US! This might help Father. It's an article by Fr. Anthony Nelson about their icons:

A Word About "Monastery Icons" by Fr. Anthony Nelson

The "Light of Christ Monastery" and the Convent of the Virgin Mary in Borrego Springs, CA., formerly the "Gnostic Orthodox" in Geneva, Nebraska (Holy Protection Gnostic Orthodox Monastery and the St. John of Kronstadt Gnostic Orthodox Convent) are "monastic communities" of self-styled monks and nuns. They began in Oklahoma City in the 70's, when their current "Patriarch"�Abbot Bishop George Burke�showed up in town (newly run away in the dead of night from the Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Monastery in Boston, where he had attached himself) calling himself "Swami" something-or-other (I can't begin to spell it).

He had been raised Church of God-Anderson, near Bloomington, Illinois, gravitated to Chicago and loosely affiliated himself with Roman Catholicism. After a while he began attending the Levitt Street OCA Cathedral, and later the Synod Cathedral, where he got himself baptized by Bishop Seraphim. He then migrated to California, where he joined with Yogananda, and worked P.R. for him. Then he went to Boston to Holy Transfiguration Monastery "to learn Orthodox monasticism"�according to him. In Oklahoma City he started a Hindu community that grew to about nine monks and three nuns. One day, in the late 70's, he announced to the brethren that they had "outgrown" the spiritual possibilities of Hinduism, and were going to become Christian. They then constituted themselves as the "Holy Protection Old Catholic Benedictine Monastery of the Primitive Observance." The Swami got himself consecrated a bishop by the self-styled "Old Catholic" bishop at St. Hilarion's Center in Austin, Texas (although he�the former "Swami"�stated categorically that it was unnecessary, because he had been a Roman Catholic bishop during the Middle Ages in a previous life!).

Many may remember this group as having been featured on various prime-time news shows (P.M. Magazine and Real People) in the late 70's/early 80's as constituting the volunteer Fire Department in the little town of Forest Park, Oklahoma, and also as raising ostriches on the grounds of their property. I remember seeing them on television one night while I was living at St. Tikhon's Seminary in Pennsylvania in about 1980, and wondering just what kind of "order" or "religion" they were. Little did I dream that I would come into intimate contact with them only a year or two later when I was assigned to Oklahoma City by the Antiochian Archdiocese.

In about 1981 "Bishop George" decided that they had outgrown Old Catholicism, and they became "Holy Protection Orthodox Monastery." They dressed as Orthodox monks and did the services impeccably well, as George had learned in Boston. Then, in 1985 or so, they remodeled their chapel again and became "Coptic"�serving their own version of the Liturgy of St. James and dressing in a form of Coptic monastic garb. They even succeeded in having Indian and Egyptian Coptic Christian clergy concelebrate with them, falsely claiming various kinds of non-Chalcedonian "Apostolic Succession" - claims which those Coptic Christians accepted without investigation.

I walked in on them one day and found them doing a curious service modeled after Hindu worship, in which they were offering fruit and flowers to the icons of Christ and the Theotokos in their chapel. The prayers were an interesting (although sacrilegious and blasphemous) blend of the Trisagion prayers and Hindu worship. During all of this, they maintained a second, secret chapel on the premises. Here they practiced magical evocation and demonolatry. I received into Orthodoxy several lay persons who were a part of their "secret Order"�coming from various Protestant backgrounds. These particular individuals finally began to wonder if they were really "Orthodox" and "Christian" when, on a trip to Texas with the monks, they saw the monks and nuns bow down before the idol in the Hare Krishna temple in Dallas, and Abbot Bishop George refused to bless the food served in the Krishna restaurant because "it was already blessed, having been offered to the idol." These former members of their cult and one former monk brought to me all of their secret rituals,vestments, history, and associated blasphemous and really frightening materials. It took me well over a year of working with these individuals to get them over their fear of the psychic and spiritual retaliation with which the Abbot had threatened them if they ever revealed the group's secrets. I still have these materials, and they would be laughable in their sophomoric secret-society silliness if they were not so seriously believed and practiced.

The group left Oklahoma under difficult circumstances in regard to legal problems concerning the estate of a novice (son of a powerful state politician) who died in India. All novices were required to make a pilgrimage to India to interview with, and receive the blessing of, one "Mother Anandamoy"�a Hindu holy woman�who must approve them for membership in the Community.

One of their former monks who had left the group and took a job in Oklahoma City (and personally continued their occult practices privately) once made the statement: "Orthodox Priests are like camels. They carry a cargo of immeasurable worth, with no comprehension of its value." The Daily Oklahoman, the largest circulation newspaper in the state, once carried a color picture on the front page of one of it's secondary sections depicting one of their "priests." He was shown sitting at a table during a regional "Psychic Fair" doing a Tarot Card reading.

On another occasion, after I had learned their secrets and forbade my parishioners to have anything to do with them, Abbot George announced during one of his sermons that he, in a previous life, had been one of the Christian Martyrs who suffered under Diocletian, and I (Fr. Anthony) was the Roman who led him to his martyrdom. He also claims that, during a pilgrimage to visit Mother Anandamoy in India, he was killed in a car accident in New Delhi, but because his "work" here was incomplete, was immediately reincarnated in his body and survived.

"Patriarch George" of the "Gnostic Orthodox Church" admitted in an interview in the Omaha World Herald that his
"Patriarchate" covered only 5 or 6 acres. By the way, why they chose Nebraska is a mystery: Abbot Bishop George
announced, following a visit to Hawaii for an international peace conference in approximately 1985, that the Goddess of one of the volcanos appeared to him and promised to give him the island if he would relocate his community there.

Apparently that offer was not good enough because, after first relocating in Nebraska, today they are the "Light of Christ
Monastery" in California. They claim to be the exclusive remnant of a spurious so-called "Western Orthodox Church"
descended from, the Syrian Jacobite (Monophysite) Church of the East.

They have one "iconographer" there who paints all their pictures (please, not icons). All are "blessed" with one of their occult rituals before being shipped, and they support themselves to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars per year selling the demonic things. Many Roman Catholic bookstores sell them but, happily, most Orthodox sellers of religious items have discovered who and what they are and no longer do business with them.

Please don't buy their pictures�they are spiritually very dangerous.

In Him,
Your poor brother,
+Gregory, priestmonk

Father Anthony, bless: do you object to the use of "I AM" on the halo instead of "WON"? I had never seen this done outside of Monastery Icons, but I have no objection on the face of it. But maybe I am missing something.
Personally I think their style is reminiscent of Hindu devotional art: the bright colors, the somewhat sensual sentimentality.

Dear Father Gregory, Christ is among us!

Thank you for your very enlightening research. It has answered many questions concerning this "group". It is interesting how that Austin Texas group has becomed involved with this gang. I will not be buying any of their "product" anymore, and what few of their pictures we have, will be disposed of immediately.

Again thank you and have a Holy Lent.

Your sinful brother,
Anthony, priestmonk

No, I have no problem from translating the Greek or Slavonic into English. It may have some information that would help reinforce the divinity of our Lord nowadays, instead of taking things for granted.

As far as their art, I agree with you, it does seem to be a strange form, and includes the Coptic style of eyes.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+