The Lord of Spirits: Pantheon and Pandemonium XIV – Asynchronous Q&A – Dec 2024

Podcast: The Lord of Spirits
Hosts: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick & Fr. Stephen De Young
Episode Title: Pantheon and Pandemonium XIV: Asynchronous Q&A
Date: December 27, 2024
Theme: The Seen and Unseen World in Orthodox Christian Tradition – Listener Q&A

Episode Overview

In this special pre-recorded Christmas season episode, Fr. Andrew and Fr. Stephen clear their voicemail “speakpipe” backlog, answering a diverse range of questions submitted by listeners. Topics range from incense and home devotion, dreams and the noetic faculty, Marian apparitions, the nature of assurance of salvation, Orthodox/Catholic relations, to ritual participation and even “the spiritual dangers of Burt Reynolds costumes.”

The tone is colorful, honest, and sometimes spicy, with both hosts showing their characteristic wit and candor as they address theological, historical, and practical questions about Orthodoxy and mystical Christianity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Incense in Home Devotion ([03:06]–[08:41])

• Question: Why can laity offer incense at home if it had a sacrificial function in the Old Testament?
• Answer: Burning incense at home is a pious practice and not the same as liturgical or sacramental offering in the church. It's analogous to saying grace before a meal (which can include bread and wine) but is not the Eucharist. The key difference is between “sacrifice” and “devotion.”
• Quote: “That’s the comparison I would make. It’s a pious practice... but it’s not the same thing as the sacramental element that goes on at the church.” – Fr. Stephen ([08:27])
• Further Clarification: Home incense is not “magical” or intended as spiritual cleansing like “smudging.”

2. Dreams, the Noose, and Spiritual Influence ([09:31]–[17:10])

• Question: Are dreams purely psychological, or is there always a spiritual dimension? What about lucid dreams and their figures?
• Answer: The activity of the noose (the spiritual intellect) includes dream activity—most dreams are “nonsense” because most of our waking thoughts are, too. Lucid dreaming and dream “entities” can, when sought through spiritual techniques, risk demonic influence—especially if techniques parallel those used in psychedelic or occult practices.
• Quote: “Same way the machine elves are demons.” – Fr. Stephen ([17:01])

3. Understanding “Glorifying God” & Calvinist Hangover ([17:16]–[30:31])

• Question: Does Orthodoxy see glorifying God as “making Him famous” (echoing some Protestant/Calvinist traditions)?
• Answer: No. Glory (doxa/kavod/shekinah) is not about God’s reputation or fame, but rather participation and transformation in God’s presence. Giving God glory is recognizing Him as the source of all blessings, not about stroking divine ego.
• Quote: “The glory of God is actually transformative of people who participate...it’s not just God being famous.” – Fr. Andrew ([22:37])
• Spicy Moment: Strong critique of Calvinist notions of God’s “glory complex."
• Quote: “Literally Calvinism teaches that if one of your kids is a reprobate, you will spend eternity glorifying God for how wise and wonderful he is, that he created your child to punish him in hell for eternity. That is perverse.” – Fr. Stephen ([29:20])

4. Roman Catholic Marian Apparitions & Orthodox Reception ([30:44]–[41:23])

• Question: How do Orthodox Christians view Roman Catholic Marian apparitions?
• Answer: Apparitions are judged on a case-by-case basis, with critical discernment. Orthodoxy may organically adopt veneration (e.g., icons of Our Lady of Guadalupe), but does not automatically accept dogmatic or prophetic content from Catholic apparitions—especially those tied to specific dogmas (e.g., Immaculate Conception). Miracles and apparitions, even if real, are not seen as doctrinal proof.
• Quote: “The Orthodox Church can be open to the idea that these things happen...but that does not in any way confirm the interpretation of them in the context in which they happen.” – Fr. Stephen ([39:24])

5. Why Are Orthodox & Catholics Still Apart? ([42:29]–[54:49])

• Question: What are the main hurdles for restoring full communion between Catholic and Orthodox Churches?
• Answer:
  • Dogmatic Issue 1: Papal supremacy/infallibility remains a core unresolved divide.
  • Dogmatic Issue 2: Essential differences in worship, especially after Vatican II reforms (liturgical chaos, discontinuity with tradition).
  • Pastoral/Practical: The lived experience and form of typical Roman Catholic worship is unrecognizable to most Orthodox—liturgical reform and innovation have deeply alienated the churches.
  • Quote: “The most important thing that Christians do is worship God...there has come to be so much about the way that Roman Catholicism worships God that has become alien to the average orthodox Christian.” – Fr. Andrew ([45:12])

6. Who Can Be Saved? “No Salvation Outside the Church” & Double Predestination ([55:13]–[64:21])

• Question: Does “outside the Church, there is no salvation” mean only Orthodox are saved?
• Answer:
  • It's not about exclusive membership but about the Church as the means of salvation. The Church’s mission is to evangelize, not to hold a secret list of elect; God’s grace can operate outside formal boundaries.
  • Quote: “Why has the Orthodox Church evangelized then? Historically…[that logic] is not only Calvinism, it’s bad Calvinism. Not even good Calvinism.” – Fr. Stephen ([64:03])

7. Christian Influence on Neoplatonism ([66:34]–[76:50])

• Question: Did Christianity influence Neoplatonism more than the reverse, and what resources illuminate this?
• Answer:
  • Suggestion: Read Porphyry and Plotinus directly, noting how Porphyry’s anti-Christian polemic shapes Plotinus’s positive philosophy. Later scholarship affirms the complex relationship; Gnosticism and Neoplatonism attempt similar syntheses (but with distinct religious praxis).
  • Quote: “Read Porphyry, read Plotinus, then get into some classic Plotinus scholarship. And I think it will bear out what I’m saying.” – Fr. Stephen ([72:11])

8. Canonization & Local Saints – Is Campaigning Appropriate? ([76:57]–[83:09])

• Question: Should we campaign for the canonization of someone (like Fr. Seraphim Rose) or “go fishing” for unknown saints?
• Answer:
  • The process is local and organic—campaigning or publicizing “miracles” is not how it works. The faithful should focus on the saints God has revealed.
  • Quote: “Go on a pilgrimage to Platina, pray and ask Father Seraphim Rose to pray for you...Good for you. Shut up about it.” – Fr. Stephen ([81:51])

9. Assurance of Salvation in Orthodoxy ([87:51]–[96:26])

• Question: How does assurance of salvation in Orthodoxy differ from Puritan/evangelical contexts?
• Answer:
  • Orthodox assurance is relational, not legal or algorithmic—it’s like trusting in a good marriage, not checking a box. Salvation is a process, not a binary.
  • Quote: “Do you mean am I perfectly conformed to the likeness of Christ? No...But am I worried if I die I’ll go to hell? No, I guess I am saved because I’m not worried about that.” – Fr. Stephen ([92:03])

10. Use of “We” to Refer to Old Testament Israel ([97:07]–[102:40])

• Question: Should Christians refer to Israel’s story as “our story”?
• Answer: Absolutely. St. Paul models this, and in church, we call Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob “our fathers.” Christians are truly grafted in.
• Quote: “When he says that about grafted in, he actually believes it—they are now in... that heritage becomes their history.” – Fr. Stephen ([101:14])

11. “Simon the Rock” – Peter and Papal Jurisdiction ([102:52]–[109:56])

• Question: Why is Peter called “the Rock”? Is that a prooftext for papal supremacy?
• Answer:
  • The nickname refers to his personality (“Rocky,” “hard man”) rather than a dogmatic office. Orthodox recognize Petrine primacy among bishops (order of honor), but not universal jurisdiction as claimed by Roman Catholicism.
  • Quote: “Kephos basically means Rocky. Like Rocky Balboa…he became a pillar, but when he got the nickname, he was probably just a tough kid.” – Fr. Stephen ([104:31])

12. The Fate of Relationships in the Resurrection & Universalism ([113:35]–[125:32])

• Question: If our relationships persist in eternity, how could the saved be happy if loved ones are damned?
• Answer:
  • The Church leans toward hope for more being saved, and eternal condemnation is for those who become truly monstrous. Salvation is not simply surviving a cutoff score; it’s about becoming like Christ. “Nobody goes to hell by accident.”
  • Quote: “People don’t go to hell accidentally... It’s not because of hardship... That’s not how you end up under God’s eternal condemnation, if anybody does at all.” – Fr. Stephen ([123:47])

13. Fat (or Handsome?) Eglon – A Translation Puzzle ([126:01]–[129:00])

• Question: Was King Eglon of Moab “fat” or “handsome” in Judges 3?
• Answer:
  • The underlying Hebrew can mean “robust,” “well-nourished” (positive for babies, negative for adults). The Old Greek (Septuagint) leans “handsome” in translation, but the context and wordplay point to “very corpulent.”
  • Quote: “When it’s used about an adult, it means more obese... When it’s used about a child, it means more like healthy. The translators into Greek went with ‘handsome.’” – Fr. Stephen ([128:45])

14. Are Women Created Representations of the Holy Spirit? ([129:11]–[137:03])

• Question: Is there an Orthodox basis for saying women are the “created representation” of the Holy Spirit?
• Answer:
  • No. All humans (male and female) are in the image of God. Linguistic associations exist (Spirit is grammatically feminine in Hebrew), and some maternal or “helper” language parallels—but it’s reductionist and misleading to assign the Spirit’s image solely to women.
  • Quote: “I don’t know what it would mean to say that someone is in the image of the Holy Spirit in particular...the Spirit is not incarnate.” – Fr. Stephen ([133:13])

15. Why Was Music Dangerous Pre-Flood? ([137:12]–[142:03])

• Question: Why was music (as a gift from fallen angels) “too soon” for humanity?
• Answer:
  • Music is tremendously powerful; its seducing, manipulative, and memetic properties can be used for both good and evil (see Arius inventing catchy heretical jingles!). It’s like mystagogy or metamorphosis—it shapes perception and mood deeply, not just through words but sound itself.
  • Quote: “Music is a very powerful tool. I know some Britney Spears lyrics. I never tried to learn any.” – Fr. Stephen ([141:06])

16. Halloween Costumes, Identity, and Ritual Participation ([145:06]–[154:19])

• Question: Is dressing up (e.g., as Burt Reynolds) a form of ritual participation with spiritual effects?
• Answer:
  • Masking/roleplay is a form of ritual participation. It’s not always grave, but the act of embodying an identity—even humorously or on Halloween—can affect the person, especially when attached to vice or seduction. Be prudent, and recognize some costumes (especially overtly sexualized ones) are more spiritually risky than others.
  • Quote: “Masking and ritual... was probably involved with most of what gets called the Nephilim ritual… there is a ritual process of attempting to take on at least aspects of a particular thing by dressing as it, posing as it” – Fr. Stephen ([149:30])
  • Memorable moment: “…there are 12 out-of-shape Deadpools and Jokers at your local comic book convention. They’re doing that because they’re looking for a kind of ritual participation.” – Fr. Stephen ([151:26])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “If things get dull, I’ll say something spicy.” – Fr. Stephen ([02:52])
• “The rest of the context of the paragraph might clarify that more… Nobody bats a thousand.” – Fr. Stephen, on misattributed Orthodox sources ([19:26])
• “Orthodox spirituality becomes essentially stoicism in the face of God’s will, which is why Dutch people are as messed up as we are.” – Fr. Stephen ([30:09])
• “You don’t have an icon with the silhouette and ‘The Unknown Saint’…” – Fr. Andrew ([78:33])

Memorable Sections & Timestamps

• Incense and Sacrifice ([03:06]–[08:41])
• Dreams & the Noose ([09:31]–[17:10])
• God’s Glory, Calvinism Critique ([17:16]–[30:31])
• Marian Apparitions ([30:44]–[41:23])
• Catholic-Orthodox Relations ([42:29]–[54:49])
• Who Can Be Saved? ([55:13]–[64:21])
• Neoplatonism Discussion ([66:34]–[76:50])
• Canonization Campaigning ([76:57]–[83:09])
• Assurance of Salvation ([87:51]–[96:26])
• “We” and Israel ([97:07]–[102:40])
• Simon the Rock and Papal Jurisdiction ([102:52]–[109:56])
• Halloween Ritual Participation ([145:06]–[154:19])

Final Thoughts

This robust Q&A demonstrates “The Lord of Spirits” at its best: honest, theologically deep, sometimes combative, and always encouraging listeners to deeper Orthodox faith and practice. From deep dives into patristic and biblical vocabulary to real-life spiritual dangers and the spiritual meaning of everyday acts, the episode exemplifies a living Orthodox mysticism.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from The Lord of Spirits crew!