ABOUT Orthodox attitude to the person

Reflection on the words of Patriarch Kirill about burnout.

« A priest cannot have any fatigue from service, no burnout. And if someone gets tired and burns out, invite them to your place and give them twice as many responsibilities. Then all burnout will pass, and enthusiasm will appear again - just treat the clergy and believers with love, unite them around you" These words are edification for bishops from Patriarch Kirill.

For me, these are the saddest words spoken by the Primate of the Russian Church that I know of. Pronounced from such a height, they will undoubtedly become a rule and a guide to action. And I’m afraid that for some they will become a justification for despotism.

Very, very sad.

The replica itself consists of two mutually exclusive settings. Denial of fatigue and burnout can NOT, under any circumstances, be love!

Fatigue and burnout are something that does not depend on the person himself. And that means a person cannot be held guilty. And even more so cannot be punished!

Remember in the Bible there is one terrible example. The son of King Solomon, having ascended the throne, gathered the people. And the people asked him to reduce the burden given to them by Solomon. The great king rebuilt the “empire”. It's true. But he didn’t save himself and brought people to exhaustion.

And the son of Solomon called the elders. And they asked him to hear the people, to have pity on them, to reduce the burden. “Then,” the elders said, “the people will always be with you and for you.” The young king asked his young friends for their opinions. And they told him: “Tighten the screws! And squeeze the last juice out of the people!” Young " effective managers“In those years people thought pragmatically.

As a result, the king tightened the screws. I achieved my goal. The fight was won. And he lost the battle. Many of the people rebelled. United Israel split and in the following centuries remained in civil strife and misfortune.

Back to burnout and fatigue. The whole world has long known that this is not fiction or stupidity. Just like depression. There are well-known and understandable methods of prevention and rehabilitation of those people who are exhausted, devastated, and petrified. And this has nothing to do with asceticism. It's about what is available to people, as long as they want to help each other. And the main thing that helps people recover, come to their senses, and gain strength is trust in them, the opportunity to be heard and understood, the right to a break.

Denying burnout and fatigue leads to only one conclusion: the burned out and tired person is to blame. Guilty not of anything specific, but simply of life. And the feeling of guilt, “attached” in general, and not to a specific action or word, cannot give rise to correction, because there is nothing to correct. And then it turns all its force on the burnt-out person and further destroys him from the inside.

I have spoken more than once about the striking difference in attitude towards people that appeared in Christianity with the advent of communal monasticism. Man became nothing more than a soldier in the orderly ranks of the “angelic army.” Read the ancient statutes and you will understand everything. This is probably justified inside monasteries. So be it. But the whole Church is not a single monastery. And not an army. The Church is the children of God and even the friends of Christ. Christians, regardless of rank and status, are brothers and sisters among themselves. Remember the Gospel of John (chapter 15, verses 14-15)? Therefore, we must not forget that Christianity also knows a different attitude towards people. It's about respect for individuality and trust in brothers and sisters.

In communal monasteries, those who fell asleep during services were severely punished. The statutes even prescribed that such careless people could be beaten with a stick. But right here, in " parallel world”, among special monks, the following story is found. Famous Elder They asked: “Father, if you see your brother (monk) sleeping at a divine service, what will you do?” “I’ll put his head on my lap to make him more comfortable and let him sleep.”

PS. I know that many will disagree. They will defend the words of the Patriarch. Everyone's business. But I will advise those who disagree with me to remember this conversation at that moment when you or your loved ones feel bad, when life crushes you or your loved ones like cockroaches, and when you are looking for at least a kind word, at least a sympathetic look, at least a gesture of attention , even a glass of vodka poured by a friend... Would you then want to “double” the load?

ZYY. I remembered a wonderful and very wise advice one ascetic monk, a man of holy life. Maybe it was even Isaac the Syrian. So he said that there are such states, even periods of life, when all you can do is curl up and crawl under the blanket from powerlessness and emptiness, and darkness, and even a feeling of being abandoned by God. And freeze, as if you don’t even live. And so you can wait it out. No matter where such a misfortune comes from, it cannot be cured by willpower. You just have to endure it. And if there is someone nearby, then they too should stock up on trust and patience.

ZYYY. And one last thing. Professional. Believe me!
With such directives from above on relationships with people, where fatigue and burnout are denied, there can be no talk of any volunteering in the Church! About no social work Same. The “squad” cannot afford to notice the loss of fighters and waste energy on ballast.

Question: “Reading the holy fathers, I came across passages about the dangers of communicating with certain people. And in prayer from evening rule John Chrysostom: “Lord, protect me from some people...” And in the instructions of St. John the Climacus I read: “In relation to people, do not indulge in sadness, do not be embarrassed, do not run away, but consider yourself to be dust under their feet. Without this, you will not be able to save yourself and avoid eternal torment...” And such an internal contradiction arose: one saint says: “... do not run away...”, and the other advises to stay away.”

Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov answers:
“It's all about context. There is an expression in the Holy Scriptures: “...he will be to you like a pagan and a tax collector...” This means to go around three miles. There is another expression in the Holy Scriptures: “...do not avoid communication...”
This is not a contradiction. This is about different things and about the different states of man himself.
Well, for example (this is an example from this morning). A homeless boy came to us and this morning it turned out that he had tuberculosis. We placed him in isolation. If we give him the opportunity to communicate with other children in our orphanage– there is a danger of infection. It is obvious that the boy needs to be placed in an isolation ward. And today we will transfer him to the hospital in order to begin treating him. Therefore, if a person does not have sufficient immunity to communicate with others, he needs to avoid certain people.
At the same time, this avoidance should not be for taste or smell (which also happens), but should be for spiritual benefit. If a person protects his well-being and treats people in a “bureaucratic” manner (“We’re having lunch! Come yesterday!”, “She’s gone to the base!”) – this form of communication is not Christian. And if a person is so depraved that communicating with him is dangerous for you, then you need to avoid him. It is absolutely clear that we're talking about O important things and do not intersect."

“More than once I have come across the fact that people are perplexed: there are childhood friends with whom they have been communicating for more than 20 years, but life paths separated. One came to the temple, the other went the worldly path. Interests are completely different. And the question arises: should we maintain such a friendship? Because there are fewer and fewer points of contact..."
Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov:
“It’s only like this: if there is an answer to one short question - “Why?” If there is an answer and this answer is convincing, then we can continue. And if not, then no.”
Archpriest Alexander Berezovsky:
“The person has found himself in bad company and, in general, communicating with him is probably not very useful. But it’s impossible to get him out of this company without communicating with him.”
Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov:
"Please. We walk along the Crimean Bridge, from the metro to the cultural park named after. Gorky. And we see: there, below under the bridge, a man is drowning. Three options for our actions.
First: jump down. Will you be able to enter the water without losing consciousness from the impact? You can't.
Then you take the second option: if on the bridge (they used to hang, now I don’t know) there is lifebuoys– can you take it off and throw it? There are no circles or, let’s say, you can’t take them off.
Third option: call for help.
It’s the same here: if communication with this person is not spiritually contagious for you and you can overcome it, then you can. What if not, or are you with your children all the time and can only come there with them, and this is dangerous? That is, you just need to judge.
It's like running after a bus: if you see that you can't make it, then there's no point in running. And you also need to evaluate: how important is it for you to get on this bus and not wait for the next one?”

Christ said strange words in his Sermon on the Mount: I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be subject to judgment... whoever says, “You are foolish,” will be subject to fiery hell(Mt. 5 :22). And he also adds: I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart(Mt. 5 :28). It turns out that it’s not enough not to do something bad, you also need to don't think So. Who can be saved under such demands? After all, it turns out that what we usually call insignificant, to which we do not pay attention, is in fact the cornerstone of our salvation. As Christ himself said: Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect(Mt. 5 :48).

How did the saints respond to this call of the Savior? How were “minor” sins treated?

About this in the new material of the “Fomas” project.

The case of stones from the life of righteous Anthony of Murom

The holy righteous Anthony of Murom (1762–1851) spent the last 23 years of his life in solitude in a tiny cell near the city of Murom. Performing tireless prayer, the saint soon received from God the gift of clairvoyance. People began to flock to him from all sides for help and advice.

One day two women came to righteous Anthony. One, having committed a grave sin, confessed everything to the elder with tears. The other one smugly told the righteous man that she was not guilty of a single “big” sin. Having listened to both, the saint ordered the first to go and bring him a large stone, and the second to collect small stones. The women, following the strange instructions of the elder, returned after some time. “Now take and place these stones exactly in the places where you took them from,” said the righteous man. The woman with the large stone easily fulfilled the new strange command of the saint. The second, embarrassed, returned to Anthony with pebbles in her hands, complaining that she did not remember exactly where she had collected them from. Then finally the elder explained to them why all these “moving” of stones was needed. A woman who has collected many pebbles and has not been able to put them back in place lives with numerous sins, passions and thoughts, to which she is accustomed and therefore does not confess or even remember them. The first, having committed a serious sin, deeply repented of it, managed to get rid of it, as well as from a large heavy stone.

Painful reaction to “painless” sin

On the pages of the saint (354–430) one can find a thorough (at first it even seems too much) analysis of a prank committed in childhood. As a teenager, the future saint, in the company of friends, climbed into someone else’s garden at night to steal pears that had ripened by that time. He didn’t even enjoy the stolen fruits - he simply threw them away. Years later, Augustine devoted many pages of his legendary book to a comprehensive analysis of what happened. He conducted an entire psychological investigation, mercilessly analyzing all the movements of his soul, trying to accurately establish the true motives for his offense.

Thus, the deep faith of Blessed Augustine and his zealous desire to remain faithful to the Gospel in everything revealed to the saint the influence that deeds and thoughts have on our lives that seem insignificant and ordinary to some.

Experience of “revision” of thoughts

The ascetics of the first centuries of Christianity paid great attention not only to their actions, but also to their thoughts.

One desert monk invented an ingenious method to eliminate bad thoughts. He collected a pile of stones in front of him and placed two baskets: on the right and on the left. Every time I visited him while doing needlework Good idea, he put one pebble in the right basket, and when it was bad, in the left one. Thus, by the end of the day, the saint could carry out a kind of “revision” of his thoughts. And if there were more pebbles in the left basket, then the ascetic deprived himself of food for the entire next day.

Ava Zeno and the Cucumber Case

The saints, working on the purity of their thoughts, sometimes went to extreme, almost unthinkable measures. Thus, from the “Spiritual Patericon” there is a known case about how Saint Abba Zeno (IV century), traveling in Palestine, became terribly tired from the heat and sat down to rest in the shade. Nearby there was a vegetable garden of a local farmer. Then the ascetic had the idea to take one cucumber to refresh himself and quench his thirst. And Abba mentally asked himself: “Don’t you know that thieves are punished? Try it yourself, in this very place, can you bear the punishment?”

For five days Zeno stood under the scorching sun, experiencing the spiritual consequences of such a sin.

The saint concluded: “I cannot bear the punishment! And if you can’t, then don’t steal.”

“Little” sin under the lens of holiness

Famous throughout Russia, the saint and wonderworker (1812–1891), already in old age, said with sorrow: “I lived in the monastery for 40 years and did not earn 40 turnips; truly the roofs of others are covered, but your own stands open; and I’m already turning 67.”

Hieromonk Platon, the elder’s confessor, spoke about the saint’s confession: “How edifying the elder’s confession was! What humility and contrition of heart he showed about his sins! And what sins! About those that we don’t even consider a sin... I’ll look, I’ll look at the crying old man, and I’ll cry myself.”

The greatest ascetic of the last century, Father - a man who performed miracles, possessed the gift of clairvoyance, was filled with prayerful fervor... But if you open it Personal diary from 1908, one can read something completely paradoxical. What the great saint notices behind himself is so common, familiar to each of us, that it involuntarily begins to seem that the great righteous man was a completely ordinary person, with his passions, evil thoughts, and “spontaneous” actions. It is enough to cite a few passages.

July 18. Friday. Mass. Service with deacon Father Nicholas the voiceless. A temptation occurred: another day the deacon did not help in the most important part of the Liturgy; evades the offering of the Holy Gifts and does not receive communion; this upset me and created in me a secret dislike for him; I was embarrassed, but immediately secretly repented to the Lord, asking the deacon to change the evil disposition of my heart to a good, meek one, with forgiveness, and to give me peace and a worthy celebration of the Sacrament with communion - and the Lord miraculously changed my heart, renewing and pacifying me. God bless.

August 19. Forgive me, Lord, that I violated the main principle of Your law - love for one's neighbor, and became irritated with my servant, and called her a “fool” in anger. I repent. Forgive, correct, do not allow the sin to happen in the future.

27th October. Night. I thank the Lord with all my heart for quickly delivering me, in the secret of my heart, from the fierce devilish misfortune that befell me because of the evil whim of my heart against Vera (Pertsova), Maria and also Natalya, who came to the forefront in the church. As soon as through prayer and humility I got rid of the enemy’s anger, which gripped my heart and drowned me. - Oh, how glad I was about my salvation from the Lord! - Glory to You!

However, reading these personal notes of John of Kronstadt, one can notice something that is just alien to most of us. Each such offense and even thought was followed by immediate analysis and deep repentance. Saint, sensitively responding to any, even the slightest internal movements, sinful thoughts, instantly noticed them and immediately began to lament what he had done before God. “Little” sin, under the lens of holiness, was immediately revealed and eradicated. And so - every day.

1. Attitude towards Gentiles in the Old and New Testaments

The Lord Jesus Christ, passing on His words to his disciples, and they, in turn, to other people, put into them pure teaching, the teaching about the salvation of the soul, about a righteous life in love and peace with others. And today everyone Orthodox Christian who walks the path of salvation, you need to remember the Gospel and build your life according to it, following the example of Christ. One such example may be the attitude towards people of other religions.

IN " Old Testament", which, before the descent to earth of God the Son Jesus Christ, was prescribed not to create families with non-believers, to lead a separate lifestyle, but, for example, to the Samaritans, who were pagans in relation to the Jews, and were completely treated with disdain, which the Gospel tells us :

4 Now He had to pass through Samaria.
5 So He comes to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6 There was Jacob's well. Jesus, weary from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about six o'clock.
7 A woman comes from Samaria to draw water. Jesus says to her: Give me something to drink.
8 For his disciples went into the city to buy food.
9 The Samaritan woman said to Him, “How can you, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” for Jews do not communicate with Samaritans.

This passage clearly describes the relationship between peoples through the lips of a simple woman: “How can you, being a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink? for Jews do not communicate with Samaritans.” However, the Lord, without rejecting her, talks to her.

The Lord teaches the law of love, which teaches us a perfect attitude towards people of other hopes. The Law of Moses was distinguished by significant severity towards people:

43 You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you,
45 May you be sons of your Father in heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don't publicans do the same?
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what special thing are you doing? Don't the pagans do the same?
48 Therefore be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Matt. 5:43-48

Calling us to perfection, the Lord calls us to pure faith, love and good attitude towards all people, not only towards brothers, but towards everyone in general, as well as to perform good deeds for all people. The pagans did not believe in the True God, did not have the law, and acted according to the will of their hearts ( “for when the pagans, who do not have the law, by nature do what is lawful, then, not having the law, they are a law unto themselves: they show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as evidenced by their conscience and their thoughts, sometimes accusing, sometimes justifying one another" Rome. 2:14,15). The Lord calls us to be above them in deeds and to love even our enemies. The Lord calls love for one’s neighbor a commandment, showing this instruction to be high and very necessary for our salvation, which we know from His answer to the Pharisees:

36 Teacher! What is the greatest commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said to him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind:
38 This is the first and greatest commandment;
39 And the second is like it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself;
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Matt. 22:36-40

Addressing the faithful, the Lord teaches them to be unfeignedly kind not only to their fellow believers, but also to all other people. Who does the Lord call his neighbor?

27 He answered and said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.
28 [Jesus] said to him, “You answered correctly; do this and you will live.
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus: Who is my neighbor?
30 To this Jesus said: A certain man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho and was caught by robbers, who took off his clothes, wounded him and left, leaving him barely alive.
31 By chance, a certain priest was walking along that road, and when he saw him, he passed by.
32 Likewise, the Levite, being at that place, came and looked and passed by.
33 But a Samaritan, passing by, came upon him, and when he saw him, he had compassion
34 And he came and bandaged his wounds, pouring in oil and wine; and, setting him on his donkey, brought him to the inn and took care of him;
35 And the next day, as he was leaving, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, “Take care of him.” and if you spend anything more, when I return, I will give it to you.
36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the one who fell among the robbers?
37 He said, He who showed him mercy. Then Jesus said to him: Go and do likewise.

Onion. 10:25-37

2. Who should a Christian really avoid?

In the New Testament, which the God-man Jesus Christ gave us, there is still a strict side that rightly separates everything unnecessary from the law of love for one’s neighbor. This is that you cannot communicate with sinners who teach any sin.

9 I wrote to you in a letter - do not associate with fornicators;
10 However, not in general with the fornicators of this world, or the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, for otherwise you would have to come out of [this] world.
11 But I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who, while calling himself a brother, is a fornicator, or a covetous, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or a thief; You can’t even eat with someone like that.
12 For why should I judge those who are outside? Are you not judging the internal ones?
13 But God judges those who are outside. Therefore, cast out the wicked from among you.

The Apostolic Epistles explain the gospel truth for the Christian in the best way possible. The Apostle Paul in this letter protects the believer from the infection of sin, which is found in any bad society, and rightly suggests not to associate with the corrupt. To support these words, we can recall verses from the 17th Psalm of David:

26-27 You will be reverent with the venerable, and with the innocent man you will be innocent, and with the elect you will be chosen, and with the obstinate you will be corrupt.

Euthymius Zigaben, interpreting these verses, says:

A reverend is usually called one who is pious before God; innocent is the one who is pure in soul before people; the chosen one is the one who is perfect in virtue; obstinate - a crafty person. — The above words can have their application to anyone and contain a very instructive meaning: they precisely mean that what the person with whom you live together or interact is, so will you be, changed in accordance with the properties of the person close to you.

Evfimy Zigaben

Many people who do not have knowledge about the harm of sins, do not know how they corrupt and destroy the soul, are not familiar with these truths, and out of despair and ignorance they commit these sins, for example, theft, smoking, robbery and other vices. But do not forget that you should notice sins only in yourself, so as not to look for specks in the eye of another when you yourself have many problems in your spiritual life. Prejudicial treatment of a sinner is unacceptable. It should be understood that lack of faith in God, as well as His non-Orthodox confession, is also a sin. This is what the Church has decreed. That is, any teaching that dogmatically and theologically disagrees with the Church of Christ, much less breaks away from it, is not saving for the soul. A Christian should not blaspheme other opinions, but also not praise other creeds, since they are not salutary from the point of view of Orthodox Christianity.

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all.

The Apostle emphasizes that several different teachings cannot be true, just as there cannot be any agreement between them, since they have different ideas about God.

Needless to say, in modern times Christian morality, which has existed in legislation for centuries, moral standards humiliated? There really are illnesses among the people that need to be cured through fasting, prayer and faith. Let us return to the fact that for most people sins are not something bad. As Isaac the Syrian accurately said: “The sinner licks the blade of a knife, drinks his own blood, and because of the sweetness of his blood, does not feel his harm.” Should we “withdraw from the world altogether” and have nothing to do with such people? We will find the answer from St. John Chrysostom:

And don’t tell me such heartless words: “Why should I care? I have nothing in common with him." We have nothing in common only with the devil; we have a lot in common with all people. They have the same nature with us, inhabit the same land, eat the same food, have the same Lord, received the same laws, are called to the same good as we are. Therefore, let us not say that we have nothing in common with them, because this is the voice of Satan, devilish inhumanity. Let us not say this and show the care due to brothers. And I promise with all confidence and guarantee to all of you that if you all want to share the concern for the salvation of those living in the city, then the city will soon be completely corrected... Let us share among ourselves the concern for the salvation of our brothers. One person, inflamed with jealousy, is enough to correct an entire nation. And when there is not one, not two, not three, but so many who are able to take care of the careless, then for no other reason than our carelessness, and not at all out of weakness, many perish and lose heart. Isn't it really reckless that if we see a fight in the square, we run and put the fighters to peace - what am I saying - a fight? If we see that a donkey has fallen, we all hasten to extend our hand to raise him to his feet; and don’t we care about our dying brothers? He who blasphemes the holy faith is the same fallen donkey; come, lift him up in word, in deed, in meekness, and in strength; let the medicine be varied. And if we arrange our affairs in this way, we seek salvation for our neighbors, then we will soon become desired and loved by those who receive correction.

St. John Chrysostom

We really should have nothing in common with the devil and his works: anger, murder, gluttony, fornication, foul language, lies, slander, theft, pride, vanity and other sins that destroy a person’s soul and personality.

What about people who have other religious beliefs? Under no circumstances should you impose your own beliefs, much less criticize or insult their religious feelings. From the above, nowhere do we find a call to insult other people; in particular, this is shown by the dialogue between Christ and the Samaritan woman near the well. Of course, unfortunately, there are people who are looking for controversy, inciting ethnic and religious hatred and other indecency. This behavior is completely uncharacteristic of Christianity, which teaches not to offend other people. A Christian must remember this when he is present in any society of other faiths.

3. How should a Christian act in modern life among people of other hopes

When we go into a store, do we care much about the religion of the seller? Should this concern us at all? It shouldn't. When we are in a hospital, should we be very concerned about the trust of the staff, neighbors, etc.? In no case. Of course, we need to have strong hope ourselves, but give an answer only when we are asked about it. Should you force your religious beliefs on someone? Also no. A believer is self-sufficient, and he does not need to prove this to others, convince others that he is right, and even more so force others to believe in all this.

Everyone's religious feeling is sacred, something that is inside a person along with other feelings. Even atheists have a religious feeling. But that's not what we're talking about. Returning to the words of Chrysostom about the many things in common between all people, it should be recalled that a Christian contacts with outsiders for ordinary worldly needs: the use of services, goods, and so on, that is everyday life It may well not concern religious aspects and not touch upon issues of faith. You just need to be able to keep faith in your heart, in your family, in your community. After all, it is a kind attitude towards people that praises God:

14 You are the light of the world. A city standing on top of a mountain cannot hide.
15 And having lit a candle, they do not put it under a bushel, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matt. 5:14-16

What should you really avoid? Various religious sects that distort religious experience and interpret any generally accepted concept differently. With the rest, that is, with representatives of the so-called “traditional religions,” it is possible to conduct a dialogue about the main positive aspects their teachings are the cultivation of morality in society, charity, mutual assistance and support, without touching on any dogmatic and theological differences. This will be the best form of interaction. For example, Orthodox Christian Old Believers participated in wars, fighting hand in hand with people of other hopes, created industry through joint efforts, now help resettle their compatriots, promote healthy image life, as it is so prescribed by God through His Church. At the same time, the Church of Christ does not mix with other faiths.

Stereotypes are especially dangerous when, for example, a person, under the temptation of the devil, commits evil deeds with words of hope on his lips, hiding behind a creed. As one wonderful philosopher A.V. Antonov said: “All religions are environmentally friendly.” Therefore, they exclude the possibility of crimes against other people through their teaching. In this regard, one should not attribute the scab of one sheep to the entire flock. From the point of view of Christianity, a person commits evil deeds, regardless of his religion, according to the teachings of the devil, who sows discord. It will be ugly if any crime is pinned on a person with the mark of his faith. This is done by cliques, liars and slanderers, who are likened to the main slanderer - Satan. An example of this is the erroneous judgment about the financing of the October coup by the Old Believers. Sometimes, due to the mistake of some, they try to color the event as if all the Old Believers were on the side of the revolution, instilling hatred or contempt in those who listen or read it. The slanderer is obsessed with the main task - to destroy someone good name and defame him. In all cases, this is done without evidence in order to turn the majority against the others. This is best described in Nikolai Leskov’s work “The Mountain,” where, due to the slander of certain people, Christians were subjected to trials.

All that is required of us in the case of communication with non-believers is not to participate in any way in their prayer activities. For example, pray, consume any products related to heterodox worship, and even “in absentia” participate in such services - submit notes in heterodox churches, light or ask to light candles, because this is destructive to the soul of a Christian. Admiration of someone else's faith is blasphemy of one's own. No one has the right to force us to participate in any religious meetings, accept a different point of view, and so on. This is illegal. But we should not voluntarily impose our opinions and views on anyone. This happened in Russia in the 17th century, when people were forcibly forced to change their faith and accept another one, not the one that their holy ancestors prayed for. Then what is called the Inquisition happened. Those for whom Princess Sophia’s article “there is no other healing for a heretic except death” was intended had to leave their homes. But this is a story from which it is necessary to highlight, albeit sad, but also the experience of the need for peaceful coexistence.

The Church prays at every service for the strengthening of the country, for peace throughout the world, for prosperity in the future. good deeds, calling each of his children to do good, to give spiritual fruits:

22 And the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith,
23 meekness, self-control. There is no law against them.
24 But those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
25 If we live by the Spirit, we must walk by the Spirit.
26 Let us not be conceited, irritate each other, or envy each other.

Conclusion

You can consider an example from the opposite, when people who do not know how to act correctly in the society of a different faith begin to oppress him. Would we be pleased if we experienced this oppression? So, when in the company of people of a different religion, you need to behave like Christ, Who did not feel contempt for anyone, as in the dialogue with the Samaritan woman. It will do a Christian good to treat other people well, regardless of their hope. This will be a Christian work, this will be a worthy sermon, so that people who see us will “glorify our Heavenly Father.”