The Apostolic Church

'Give ye them to eat!' Did this mean physical food only? No. It meant everything that the God-Man has brought to earth: salvation of the human race, spiritual food, all the sacraments which were established by the Lord, the entire Church of Christ, Catholic and Apostolic. But the Apostles were mortal and the Church is eternal. The Apostles would need successors: deacons, priests, bishops. In such a way the Church will exist eternally and feed believers. She will give them that which no one and nothing on earth can give. With the words: 'Give ye them to eat!' Christ makes His Church Apostolic. And at that moment, when Christ commanded the people to sit down on the grass in groups — this is the great moment of the organization of the Church.
Archbishop Andrei (Rymarenko)

To some small end

...money would never keep that man out of mischief. He is such an incarnate hypocrite, that whatever object he pursues, he must pursue crookedly. It's his only compensation for the outward restraints he puts on himself. Always creeping along the ground to some small end or other, he will always magnify every object in the way; and consequently will hate and suspect everybody that comes, in the most innocent manner, between him and it. So, the crooked courses will become crookeder, at any mooment, for the least reason, or for none.
Thomas Traddles in David Copperfield

The "Christianization" of atheism

Now it is not what is pleasing to God or the Church that is good, but what is 'progressive,' 'liberal,' revolutionary; that which is 'right-leaning' is the concatenation of all evils. 'It is in agreement with Marx!' - this is the highest praise for any teaching, for any opinion. Even holy Christian doctrine is assessed on the basis of this new standard. Thus, all of Christianity's fundamental teaching concerning the personal struggle of repentance and humility is cast aside, while only some sort of 'social teaching' is taken up and given consideration, and in it only that which one can reinterpret in a liberal-revolutionary way is approved.

...they wish to 'correct' the Church's understanding of Christianity, replacing it with their own, in which the teaching of Christ is shown to bear a remarkable resemblance to all the most recent teachings and actions of the godless, up to and including revolutions, expropriations, and bombings. On the basis of such interpretations of Christianity, in renunciation of the authority of Church, there have appeared a 'Christian Brotherhood [?!] of Struggle' and a 'Christian Socialism,' and who knows whether there will appear at some point 'Christian' brigandage, etc., etc.

If socialism looks upon itself as a world-view, what, then, is this world-view? It is, first of all, a consistent materialism. A materialistic understanding of history, as acknowledged by the socialists themselves, comprises the essence of the entire theory of their teaching, its cornerstone, according to the expression of Bernstein. "One must seek the basic reasons of all social changes and revolutions not in the heads of men and not in their views on eternal righteousness and justice, but in changes in the means of production and distribution" (Engels). If socialism is so closely bound up with materialism, how can it bear any relationship to religion? Crudely distorting the moral and educational significance of religion, the materialistic criticism of Marx and Engels sees religion as the mere 'handiwork of man,' the product of ignorant imagination or profit motives; and God Himself as a reflection of economic relations. Even in the Christian God they dare to see an 'anthropological idealization of a capitalism which thirsts for power and satisfaction.' Religion is called forth, in the words of Engels, 'by the dark, primordial ideas of man concerning his personal nature and that which surrounds him,' and is defined in its permutations "by class, and consequently economic, relations". Religion seemed to Marx to be a superstition which has outlived its time, 'a dead question for the intelligentsia, but an opium for the people.' According to this, Marx considered 'freedom of conscience from the charms of religion' to be 'the assistance of the people toward real happiness.'

Socialism is the 'mystery of iniquity' which the holy Apostle Paul prophesied (II Thess. 2:7). Is there any need to refute socialism? No, it is sufficient merely to say what socialism is, and those who have still kept their faith in Christ to any degree will reject this ungodly scandal with horror. The believing man is absolutely unable speak of any agreement between socialism and Christianity whatever. Socialism is not only not ours, it is our declared and dangerous adversary. It is guilty of enmity toward Christianity and deserves no condescension. It is our enemy. Every member of the Church must be aware of this, and it is essential that the Church explain this for all the world to hear. If passing into heresy entails separation from the Church, passing into socialism is an error more grievous than any heresy, and is even more deserving of punishment. 'If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema' (I Cor. 16:22). We have already seen how socialism 'loves' Jesus Christ. It is necessary to commit all inveterate socialism to anathema. Ravening wolves must be driven from the flock, else the whole flock will perish. How can one speak of the 'Christianization of socialism'? These are empty words. Can one Christianize atheism? 'Christian socialism' is a contradiction in terms. What is Christian cannot be socialist. If we do not loudly and openly declare that socialism is the enemy of Christianity, nothing will result except harm and scandal. All compromises are inappropriate here. One must look one's enemy in the eye. To underestimate danger is always deleterious.
St. Hilarion (Troitsky)

The height of stupidity

"But the Pharisees said, He casteth out demons through the prince of demons." (Matt 9:34) These words are the height of stupidity, for no demon casts out other demons. But let us suppose that He cast out demons as one who served the prince of demons, that is, as a magician. How then did He heal diseases, forgive sins, and preach the Kingdom? For the demon does just the opposite: he brings on diseases and separates man from God.
Blessed Theophylact

Modern breeding specifications

...when society is the name for such hollow gentlemen and ladies, Julia, and when its breeding is professed indifference to everything that can advance or can retard mankind, I think we must have lost ourselves in that same Desert of Sahara, and had better find the way out.
David Copperfield

Is your rowboat secure?

When man alienates himself from God in his heart he usually trusts in men and in himself, for in who else can he otherwise trust when he untied his rowboat from God's boat? Since he has already untied his rowboat from God's boat, nothing else remains for him except to trust in his rowboat or in the rowboat of his neighbors. Weak trust, but there is no other for him! Weeping trust above the abyss of destruction, but there is no other!

But, O heaven and earth, why did man untie his rowboat from God's boat? What happened to man that he flees from his security? What kind of calculation did he calculate when he discovered it would be better for him alone on the tempestuous waves than in the household of God and near the hem of God! With whom did he make an alliance when he breached the alliance with God? Is it with someone stronger than God? Foolishness, foolishness, foolishness!
St. Nikolaj (Velimirovic)

St. Theophan: Thoughts: June 20/ July 3

(1 Cor. 1:1-9; Matt. 13:24-30) The good seed had been sown but the enemy came and sowed tares in with the wheat. Tares are heresies and schisms in the Church and in every one of us bad thoughts, feelings, desires, and passions. A man that accepts the good seed, the words of God, decides to live a holy life and begins to live such. When such a man sleeps, that is, relaxes attention to himself, then comes the enemy of salvation and embeds in him bad thoughts which, not having been repelled in the beginning, ripen in desires and dispositions and they take their circle of deeds and propositions, having intermixed with good actions, feelings and thoughts. They are as such, both together, until the harvest. This harvest is confession. The Lord sends angels, feelings of destruction and fear of God and they, having appeared like a sickle, gather up all the tares and throw them in the fire of self-condemnation. The pure wheat remains in the granary of the heart to the joy of man, the angels and the all good God worshiped in Trinity.

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Ferocious doctrine

"Does he gloomily profess to be (I am ashamed to use the word in such association) religious still?" I inquired.
"You anticipate, sir," said Mr. Chillip, his eyelids getting quite red with the unwonted stimulus in which he was indulging. "One of Mrs. Chillip's most impressive remarks. Mrs. Chillip," he proceeded, in the calmest and slowest manner, "quite electrified me, by pointing out that Mr. Murdstone sets up an image of himself, and calls it the Divine Nature. You might have knocked me down on the flat of my back, sir, with the feather of a pen, I assure you, when Mrs. Chillip said so. The ladies are great observers, sir?"
"Intuitively," said I, to his extreme delight.
"I am very happy to receive such support in my opinion, sir," he rejoined. "It is not often that I venture to give a non-medical opinion, I assure you. Mr. Murdstone delivers public addresses sometimes, and it is said,--in short, sir, it is said by Mrs. Chillip,--that the darker tyrant he has lately been, the more ferocious is his doctrine."
"I believe Mrs. Chillip to be perfectly right," said I.
"Mrs. Chillip does go so far as to say," pursued the meekest of little men, much encouraged, "that what such people miscall their religion, is a vent for their bad-humours and arrogance. And do you know I must say, sir," he continued, mildly laying his head on one side, "that I don't find authority for Mr. and Miss Murdstone in the New Testament?"
..."as Mrs. Chillip says, sir, they undergo a continual punishment; for they are turned inward, to feed upon their own hearts, and their own hearts are very bad feeding."
Mr. Chillip in David Copperfield