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Text Box: diminution in the Traditional thought and effort requisite causes a diminution in appreciation of and for the Dogmatic foundations. This of necessity results in laxity, in lax application of Dogma, and a correlating decrease in Faith until Faith becomes a notion of belief without substantial knowledge. Eventually what exists is a vague familiarity with some quaint practices in which one’s ascendants once engaged. The human race has found through experience that continuation of the species will only occur if it utilizes a human male and a human female. Experience has taught it that a stable, permanent relationship between the male parent and the female parent is the best environment withinwhich to rear young humans born of their union. It has learned that when humans live in any form of association with other humans, fidelity is necessary for there to be sufficient stability to induce both parents to care for the children in the family, for if there is uncertainty as to who has fathered a child there often is an accompanying unwillingness for the male to tend to those offspring which are not clearly his, and a similar unwillingness by the female to tend to those offspring which clearly are not hers. It has found that certain traditions are very wise. Likewise, the traditions of the military are founded in experience of what works best. If but one of these traditions were changed it could mean total disaster. By way of example, imagine, if you will, if the chain of command were changed. What if, instead of there being one commander in chief, the military were directed by a legislative branch of government? Then, instead of one individual being ultimately responsible, and having the ability to follow consistent practices which he could change if they proved to be ineffective and then attempt to achieve the goals desired through new avenues, the military would be governed by several hundred tin gods with the

Text Box: popular concept of the most popular politician being the policy of the day, thus insuring defeat. The matter of Dogma and Tradition in the Church is much more explicit for the Dogma is established by God who does not change, nor does His Dogma. And the Traditions which have been established for many hundreds of years were established under His guidance as the means by which He exercises His energies, by which He manifests Himself, by which He guides mankind and individual humans, by which He enters into union with each individual and by which each individual enters into union with Him - and thus makes the Communion of Saints reality. Imagine the disruption and discord, the devastation which would follow disruption of Church Tradition. Perhaps we need not imagine it. Perhaps Orthodox can see it happening to others, and others are experiencing it. + + Paul, S.S.B.

Text Box: of the temporary nature of our worldly possessions, for most of us have suffered varying levels of loss of those possessions due to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. For those whose only value is in things of this world, the hurricanes have reminded them of how fragile is their value system. But those who have the permanent world, the world of the spirit, as their prime value system - these can weather the losses caused by the storms, provided they have sown in the spirit. What is it to sow in the spirit? Is it swaying back and forth while waving your arms in the air and saying "J_e_e_e_s_u_s_s"? No. Is it "getting your miracle" - usually a big house, car, money, and no worldly worries? No. Is it demanding things from God. No. Sowing in the spirit is prayer for your own eternal salvation and that of others. It is doing your best to do what God has said He wants us to do, and avoiding what God has said He wants us to avoid. It is doing and avoiding these things primarily because God has said to do and to avoid them. It also is doing and avoiding these things so that we will be happy for all eternity, but that should be secondary to the doing and avoiding simply because God said to do and to avoid. Sowing in the spirit also is doing and avoiding what God has said to do and to avoid, so that we may avoid eternal damnation, punishment, torment, and unhappiness in Hell. But avoiding Hell should be the least of our reasons for doing and avoiding what God has said to do and to avoid, even though it usually is the foremost reason. However, if avoiding Hell is the prime or even the only reason we do and avoid what God has said to do and to avoid, it is sufficient for us to attain eternal happiness, provided we actually do and avoid what God said to do and to avoid. We have a multitude of tools which God has provided to assist us in the

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