A fascinating interview with a former Orthodox priest and monk. For me, this is the best interview I've ever seen on the topic of religion.
Religious fanatics (including Catholics), if they watched the video, would have to take at least half a year to get over such harsh and argumentatively substantiated criticism of religion.
At times, a very funny conversation: e.g. on the topics of sexuality, masturbation, celibacy, marriage.
On the topic of the psychology of religion, e.g. on fear and self-deception.
Furthermore, it should be said that the Orthodox Church has not undergone reforms like the Catholic Church – that is, the liberal Second Vatican Council, which adapted the Church to the 20th century. The Orthodox Church is pure medieval and is far more conservative than the Catholic Church.
I had a good laugh during the conversation 😃 😃. I highly recommend it.
The former Orthodox priest spoke about mystical visions that first led him to the church, and later he had visions that, on the contrary, led him to leave the church. Kokeš's experience negates the experiences of religious fanatics who argue that their faith is the most perfect and unwavering because they were enlightened by some vision during their "conversion" to religious fanaticism.
It's interesting how one woman from the audience mentioned that she took her little son to church and he ran away from the church because he was disgusted by the cross, that is, the dead body on the cross – I also often draw attention to this topic in my videos and articles.
He mentioned that, as a priest, he shared his problems with a female psychologist. If only more religious fanatics would follow his example and address their issues with religious fanaticism with psychologists. Unfortunately, a religious fanatic only knows one type of false "psychotherapist," and that is a Catholic priest. The most common reason for religious fanaticism is dealing with one's inferiority complex, and I don't know a fanatic who would have enough humility to admit a mistake and try to resolve it with a psychologist.
Interestingly, Kokeš had the key vision to give up the priesthood in a place that Christians consider the most sacred on earth – a place they believe to be the site of the Holy Sepulchre or the Nativity. Catholic religious fanatics would find it very difficult to accept that in such a place, a priest had a vision that distanced him from Christianity rather than bringing him closer. This is a very unpleasant truth for a religious fanatic, which can lead to a nervous breakdown, because he learned about a testimony that is exactly the opposite of his beliefs.
I also sent this video to several religious fanatics. Despite the fact that they were all willing to watch it, they were not able to watch it to the end. They said there was some technical failure or something came up and they couldn't finish watching it, and they didn't have the energy and ability to come back to it again. A religious fanatic is not free but is a slave – a person with whom demons are pulling and they prevent them from waking up.
Although I have great reservations about Jaroslav Dušek and disagree with him on many things, this video turned out very well.
Dušek made a very good point that Christians focus too much on the dead body on the cross, thus tuning into negative energy instead of depicting Jesus in a more cheerful position.
Dušek's good remark that Kokeš had to give up certain advantages that the priestly status brought him. Many priests may be pleased that their believers consider them to be something more, intermediaries of God, people whose orders believers follow to the letter, people who have power and can manipulate and control believers, which can bring perverse joy. The psychological feeling of the priest's superiority can get into his head. Perhaps this psychological setting in the church prevents the acceptance of reforms, whether in the Catholic or Orthodox church, and therefore it remains in backward, rotten conservatism. The more prohibitions the priest dictates to the believers, the greater his feeling of power over the believers.
Kokeš points out the problem that Christianity is based on submissiveness and obedience to the higher authority of the priest. Also, from a spiritual point of view, it is not right for people to go to a priest with problems that they must solve themselves.
An interesting topic of masturbation, to which I will add something: in the Catholic Church, Catholic priests are forbidden to masturbate, which can have the negative effect that a priest would rather release sexual energy by abusing a child than by masturbating. The perverse logic of the church.