Death to the World - Orthodox Christian Nihilism

[Moros]

I saw a thread about this a while back and thought I would summarize this site.

I particularly like the end image.

It appears that Orthodox Nihilism differs from secular Nihilism in this manner:
Secular Nihilism is the abolition of values through materialism. Orthodox Nihilism is the aquisition of values through the abolition of materialism. Either way, the philosophy fits for both schools of thought. Death to the World.

http://www.stinnocent.com/seraphim/dtw/dtw.html

"DEATH TO THE WORLD is a zine to inspire Truth-seeking and soul-searching amidst the modern age of nihilism and despair, promoting the ancient principles of the last true rebellion -- being dead to this world and alive to the other world."

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- DEATH TO THE WORLD -
Children of the Burning Heart

Just a few years back, a group of earnest young men and women, some of them former punks, created a 'zine for seekers of truth. The hand photo-copied pages were filled with drawings and Icons of Early Christian Saints and Martyrs, and accounts of their lives and struggles, as well as those of more recent times. Also included were writings from the hearts of young God-seekers today - poetry and accounts of personal struggles for truth. It was titled Death to the World, a 7th century term used by St. Isaac the Syrian for ascetic practice - the cutting off of the passions.

What do we mean by: "DEATH TO THE WORLD"?

"The world is the general name for all passions. When we wish to call the passions by a common name, we call them the world. But when we wish to distinguish them by their special names, we call them passions. The passions are the following: love of riches, desire for possessions, bodily pleasures from which comes sexual passion, love of honor gives rise to envy, lust for power, arrogance and pride of position, the craving to adorn oneself with luxurious clothing and vain ornaments, the itch for human glory which is a source of rancor and resentment, and physical fear. Where these passions cease to be active, there the world is dead....

Someone has said of the Saints that while alive they were dead; for though living in the flesh, they did not live for the flesh. See for which of these passions you are alive. Then you will know how far you are alive to the world, and how far you are dead to it."
--St. Isaac the Syrian, 7th Century

Overdose | Suicide: The Last Genocide | Never Kneel | Perfection in Pain | A Prison Called Self

 

[Moros]

http://www.saintinnocent.com/seraphim/books/youth.htm

Youth of the Apocalypse and the Last True Rebellion - Punx to Monks

A battle cry to today's youth,
to live and die for Christ crucfied...
By Monks John Marler and Andrew Wermuth

...If one looks at the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be darkened by the clouds. - Isaiah 5:30

In the darkening world of contemporary unbelief, where the impending storm clouds of destruction have indeed almost drowned out the light, this distress is most intensely felt by the still-tender souls of the youth. We, the youth of today, see how reality is warped and twisted into escapism by those who have swallowed the lies of this world and chosen to live in the shadow of evil. We see how our society has made the dollar the justification for all means, even to the point of trying to sell us "god" in the market place like a slave, bound and gagged.

We don't want a homogenized smiling American god, who is merely the refuse of the rotting system around us. We have been raised on commercials and billboards; we don't want to be sold god in silver wrapping paper and a pink bow. We want to discover reality, not in an abstract way which will make us feel good about ourselves, but hard grueling reality. We want truth, raw and real. We are desperate to know Christ crucified, not a plastic imitation of Him. Only the Man of Sorrows can understand our sorrow, and only a God crucified and resurrected deserves our faith.

Youth of the Apocalypse is a ray of light cutting through the dark clouds of hypocritical, worldly pseudo-religion. It presents the realities of Orthodox Truth without any apologies. For those of us who have been raised in the stifling smog of lies and sugar-coated excuses, it is a breath of fresh air, a life preserver in an increasingly choppy ocean, a crumb of reality under the table of self-deception, a punch in the face. This book is a virtual manifesto for the despairing children of the eleventh hour, addressing the issues and problems that are literally tearing apart the fabric of innocence: it deals with suicide, insanity, drugs, violence, art, the occult, the apocalypse, and finally with our salvation, suffering and resurrection out of the depths of this post-human wasteland.

Youth of the Apocalypse was torn from the hearts of two young monastics in Alaska, who themselves have been raised out of the muck of contemporary Nihilism in its most extreme form. It has already brought suicidal young souls, despairing Orthodox young people, and other Christian youths into the ranks of God's Army.

Humanity had thought itself sufficient, and even now we think we can escape our destiny by our own efforts. Escape! - that is our only thought. To escape form the insanity, the hell, of modern life is all we wish. But we cannot escape!!! We must go through this hell, and accept it, knowing it is the love of God that causes our suffering. What terrible anguish! - to suffer so, not knowing why, indeed thinking there is no reason. The reason is God's love - do we see it blazing in the darkness? - we are blind.
- Blessed Heiromonk Fr. Seraphim Rose

 

[Moros]

http://www.saintinnocent.com/seraphim/music.htm

My favourite ones here have to definetly be:

O Gentle Light (wma format, 226KB)
Rejoice O Virgin Theotokos (wma format, 390K)
"Behold the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night" (270K)
"All of creation rejoices in Thee (the Mother of God)" (213K)
"More honorable than the cherubim" (249K)
"Let my prayer arise, in Thy sight as incense" (348K)
Surrender (288K) -- Lullaby (466K) -- Angel (168K)

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http://www.saintinnocent.com/seraphim/music.htm

Otherworldly Music & Hardcore Chant

Chants from Optina Monastery

Chants from Valaam Monastery - Hymns of the All-Night Vigil

LAMENTATIONS - Composed by young Eastern Orthodox monks and nuns in wilderness monasteries, and performed by Monk John Marler, who was once a punk recording artist, this album consists of ten acoustic songs wrenched from the heart.

 

[Moros]

1. If anybody has any copies of these (they are out of print) I would be interested in scans.

2. If anybody knows where to get the Lamentations album, let me know ASAP. I emailed most of the people on the site, but most emails bounced.

LAMENTATIONS - Composed by young Eastern Orthodox monks and nuns in wilderness monasteries, and performed by Monk John Marler, who was once a punk recording artist, this album consists of ten acoustic songs wrenched from the heart.

 

[Moros]

Hmm.. just found this.

Postscript: Marler returned to the punk-world from monasticism but his points are right on target and his after-monk life still shines through with the everlasting Light.
The argument presented and the answer given do not discount his return to punk-world --- in fact it just increases its justification...read his post-monk interview available online, just type in his name or punks-to-monks in your browser...

 

[Nickolai]

His new band is called the Sabians. Well... it's not really a new band, he reformed the old one and changed it's name.

I don't really like the fact that he left the monestary. Ecspecially if he was tonsured a Stravophor. I'm not sure if he was a Rassophor or a Stravophor. Rassophors are allowed to leave if they choose to, with permission from their Bishop. But Stravophors are under obediance and MUST do what their Abbot instructs. To leave monasticism when you are a Stavophor means excommunication.

 

[Rilian]

Uh, I don't follow along with this at all. Wikipedia says

According to the nihilist, the world and especially human existence are without meaning, purpose, comprehensable truth, or essential value.

It is totally opposed to any ideas of truth, beauty or goodness. Nihilism has been at the root of some of the most brutal and dehumanizing tragedies of the 20th century and continues to fuel the much of the culture of death we see today. I can't see how in any way principles taken from "secular" nihilism can be introduced into Orthodoxy, seeing as how nihilism as such wouldn't even categorically recnognize it.

This stuff seems like its aimed at troubled young people, trying to put monasticism and ascetic existence into a framework they will understand and identify with.

 

[Nickolai]

I would hesitate to call this Orthodox Nihilism, as probably would Fr. Seraphim. the Brotherhood that Marler belonged to (St. Hermans) was full of former punx. and their view of the world was negitive before being introduced to Orthodoxy. This is probably what draws many punx to Orthodoxy, the whole thought that all many ascetics wait for is repose in the lord, and in the meantime, they will pray and wok as hard as they can for the glory of God. I hesitate to call it Nihilism thought, because of the reasons Rilian gave.