A little over two weeks ago I informed you that there would be no Grave Tongue chapter ahead of time, because of something that happened in my life. Now I must tell you why.
Bouncing around social media since yesterday are these documents by
Kaleb of Atlanta, detailing how to get a
religious exemption from the COVID vaccines. Since I've been following Kaleb since last year (even after I was suspended from Twitter, I'd just Google his name and read his tweets) I knew about them a while before most others. Because Kaleb is Orthodox, the documents are primarily geared for other Orthodox faithful; you can modify them to whichever denomination you belong to.
But when I first saw them, I was stunned at the difference between the Catholic Church, which I've belonged to all my life, and the Orthodox Church in their reaction to the vaccines. While some bishops are demanding mandatory vaccinations for everyone, the vast majority of Orthodox bishops are harshly condemning it as the Mark of the Beast, and denouncing it for its use of aborted fetal cells. The Catholic Church meanwhile, has said that the fetal cells don't matter, and that the vaccine is personal choice. When I read that, I became extremely frustrated at the Church. I stopped working on the Grave Tongue so I could do some soul-searching.
I had to investigate Orthodox theology. I read stories from Catholic converts into Orthodoxy, I researched the origins of the schism, but I couldn't shake off the notion that the Papacy was the rightful successor to Peter, whom Jesus said was the rock of the Church. There were, I reminded myself, some pretty bad popes- young men who used sacred ground as an orgy nest, involving homosexuals and even children. In 2020, I embraced Sedevacantism as the way forwards, completely rejecting "pope" Francis and Vatican 2. I could modify the documents over to Christianity in general, and get out of having to vaccinate without losing my job.
Part of me couldn't believe that the Christian denomination with over a billion followers could be less true than the one with less than a third of that. But of course, the number of believers has no effect on the truth. I told myself that if the Orthodox could give me a truly solid argument against the Primacy of Peter and the Seat of Rome, I would become Orthodox.
This book, written by a French priest in the 19th century, thoroughly demolishes the idea that Peter had any supremacy over the other apostles, or that the Bishop of Rome had any special powers until the 9th century. The Pope's influence was originally based on the fact that Rome was simply the most important city in the world at that time. He was the link between the East and the West. By the time I read through the section where they prove scripturally that Peter was not meant to be the final authority, I was convinced. I knew in my heart that the Papacy is not of God.
Friends, this is the start of a new chapter in my life. I must reconsider many things, and possibly alienate some people in my life. But I am now sure that the Orthodox Church is the true continuation of the Apostles, and I ask all of you to please become Orthodox Christian.
All Praise to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
