Musings from the Fourth Rome: A Source for Orthodox Christian News and Events
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Mark Stokoe on Personal Attacks
Mark Stokoe, the administrator of the OCA News website, has responded to a number of personal attacks, saying that, "I am little concerned for myself. I have been a target for years now. This is no different than what [retired Bishop Tikhon of San Francisco] was peddling six years ago. What is more concerning, is where does such end? It's one thing to attack me - I am a big boy - but what of someone in the Church who speaks out and is not as grounded? What then? Are we to become a church of bullies and thugs who slander people with impunity? They will claim that [OCA News] is no different. Really? Has anybody ever seen anything like they scream on [OCA News]? Ever? No, never. Nor will they. That is the only answer I will give them: I will not become like them, because even "winning," whatever stupid thing that might mean, one will have lost. And what gaineth a man if he gains the whole OCA, as they desire, but lose their souls in so doing? Sorry, not a good trade."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Mark Stokoe makes some good points about not slandering others. Still, who appointed him to be the guardian of the Church? Bishop Benjamin has said he regretted the private meeting of the Bishops in New Mexico was given such publicity. Who publicized it? Who seems to be on an anti-Jonah campaign? Is the continued campaign of "OCA News" (a private website) against the Metropolitan necessary during Great Lent?
ReplyDeleteNo one appointed him guardian of the Church, but although I haven't always appreciated his posts I am thankful that he has kept it up. He definitely has a perspective, but he doesn't resort to the sort of sad personal attacks that OCA Truth and others have resorted to - he simply publishes what should already be public knowledge and leaves the Church at large to make up its own mind about what's going on. Without him I'm not sure Metropolitan Herman and Bishop Nikolai would have been retired as quickly as they were (thank God, Bishop Tikhon had already been retired by the time OCA News started up).
ReplyDeleteThat having been said, I wish the New Mexico meeting (bizarre from beginning to end - what kind of "retreat" takes place in a hotel?) hadn't been so publicized. Perhaps Vladyka Jonah would still have done the same things after, but it would have been nice if this all could have happened behind closed doors (so to speak) and been dealt with by the Holy Synod, whose business all of this is.
What, exactly, are the "high crimes and misdemeanors" of which Met. Jonah is guilty? If one reads "OCA News" there is nothing good in Met. Jonah. Perhaps I missed it, but the anti-Jonah rhetoric there is quite transparent. "OCA News" does not do even-handed and fair reporting. It has a clear agenda against the Metropolitan. So, I would dispute that "OCA News" is just putting news out there for the public to make up its mind about. In fact, has not much of this brouhaha been the result of "OCA News" and its anti-Jonah campaign?
ReplyDeleteSo, I just read the supposed "high crimes" of our Metropolitan:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/metropolitan-jonah-goes-to-washington/2011/02/24/ABnZq3l_story.html
Aside from the issue of moving to Washington, DC, it looks like Metropolitan Jonah is being criticized by Stokoe over his pro-life stance and defending traditional marriage.
Prayers for Metropolitan Jonah against his detractors!
"High crimes" - how dramatic :-). The Holy Synod knows its reasons for requesting Vladyka Jonah take a leave of absence. I personally am relieved that they haven't been revealed so far (the personal attacks characteristic of OCA Truth are just sad), but publicizing the events they have driven surely isn't a crime?
ReplyDeleteStokoe has never posted news or articles driving a particular agenda beyond that of openness between the leadership and membership of the Church, so I have trouble believing he's masterminding a coup over abortion or the legalization of secular same-sex marriage. Do you have any gay or lesbian friends who are Orthodox? I do and I've found that most are either extremely nominal and don't give a crap what the Church teaches about anything or are devout and have no desire to turn the state's approval of same-sex marriage into Church approval for such a thing (and this despite the precedent of the bratotvorenie). (By way of disclaimer the above friends are not and are in no way connected with Stokoe.)
You'll have to forgive me for leaving the Washington Post article for later - it's late and I have a long day to look forward to. I would say this though - pray for our metropolitan and our Holy Synod together. We are on the outside looking in and as someone told me when I first became Orthodox, 'We bring our loved ones in prayer to God and leave it to Him to decide what they need most.' God knows what needs to happen next for our Church to heal and grow - pray for everyone and entrust what comes next to the Lord.
I never said that "OCATruth" was responding in a correct way. Stokoe has no personal agenda? In reading his website, it's clear he has one. He wants Metropolitan Jonah out and he'll present his case in the best possible way to achieve that goal. By publicizing the private inner workings of the Holy Synod with his own anti-Jonah spin he is seeking to sway public opinion against our Metropolitan.
ReplyDeleteThat's not how it comes across to me, but then again I'm not the one who read "high crimes" into all of this :-).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ocanews.org/news/JonahRetreats3.18.11.html
My statement about "high crimes" reflects the approach of Stokoe's site. It's like he's on a mission about this. As to the link you give, does Stokoe have any proof that "OCATruth" is the Metropolitan's site? They deny that:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ocatruth.com/?p=443
I wonder if Stokoe can come up with proof for this claim or is this also part of his spin?
You should write and ask him :-). Whenever I've written he's always responded despite what I'm sure is a high volume of correspondence via his site.
ReplyDeleteI was going to write him but I see others have beat me to it. He's challenged on it here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ocanews.org/serendipity/index.php?/archives/604-Jonah-Retreats.html#comments
His reply:
"(Editor's note: Well, that clears it up, doesn't it? An anonymous site proclaims it is not affiliated with anybody. Quack. Feel free to disagree.)"
So, he feels he can continue repeating the falsehood? This from a guy who claims that respect is earned? This says a lot about his "objective" reporting.
Stokoe has commented on this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ocanews.org/serendipity/index.php?/archives/604-Jonah-Retreats.html
"(Editor's note: Well, that clears it up, doesn't it? An anonymous site proclaims it is not affiliated with anybody. Quack. Feel free to disagree.)"
So, he's not backing down from his claim.
You're avoiding his basic point. If the website isn't run by anyone close to Vladyka Jonah, then why doesn't it have the integrity to say who its main contributor is? Stokoe's certainly posted a lot of stuff on OCA News, but again, I can't recall him smearing the personal lives of the people he was writing about, certainly not in the way that these so-called "faithful" behind OCA Truth do. If they're going to write the sort of things that they do, then they should have the courage, dignity, and respect for the people whose lives they are ruining to put their names to their attacks.
ReplyDeleteForgive me, but this makes me incredibly angry. That such people should DARE to call themselves defenders of the Church or the Truth or any other such thing is appalling. Their words to date have not glorified God in any way and most certainly have not benefited our Church.
ReplyDelete