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One of my friends told me that, "the honor we pay to the rotten bones and dust of the Saints, by adoring, kissing, wrapping them up in silk and placing them in golden vessels, lodging them in churches, lighting up wax candles before them, after the manner of heathens, were the ensigns of idolatry. The celibacy of the clergy was a heresy, and their vows of chastity the seminary of lewdness. To pray for the dead or to desire the prayers of the dead was superstitious. The souls of the departed saints and martyrs were at rest in some particular place and they could not remove themselves at pleasure as to be present everywhere to the prayers of their votaries. The sepulchers of the martyrs ought not to be worshipped nor their fasts and vigils to be observed. Lastly, the signs and wonders said to be wrought by their relics and at their sepulchers, served no good end or purpose of religion." How do I argue against this?

I have read the quotation within your email many times in disbelief; disbelief that someone could misinterpret so much. I hope that with this response and your study of the Holy Scripture you will be able to aptly clarify this person's misconception regarding the saints, our clergy, and the Church practices.

First, let’s define who a saint actually is within Orthodoxy. A saint is very simply "a holy person" no more no less. God is the SOURCE of all True Holiness. From the earliest of times in the Church certain men and women have been designated as saints, "holy”, either by being outstanding in spreading the Holy Gospel of our Lord, or having offered  their lives for the cause of proclaiming their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, or perhaps in their quest for a life of perfection. Seeking eternity with the Lord, they left their example for others to follow. "Holy" as you can see can be broadly defined. All people destined to be "holy" have been in the pursuit of TRUE HOLINESS. These "holy" people were followers of the Lord our God.

Do we worship these Saints? Of course not. I think the term "honor" more closely defines the way we venerate the many saints we have within the Orthodox Church. We long to live our lives with the love they had for the Lord, we long to have a close relationship with the Lord as they did, and we therefore have MUCH RESPECT for them and MUCH LOVE for the way they conducted their life. Indeed, we treat their relics as holy. Indeed we honor their day of departure. While doing so, our main goal is worshipping God.

To comment on the idea that they served no good end or purpose for religion, I would like you to read the Holy Book of Acts, chapter 6 and 7, about St. Stephen's life as a deacon and martyr. I don't think anyone can deny or even begin to dispute the role his persecution and martyrdom had in spreading the Holy Gospel. In response to his martyrdom, many early Christians spread out throughout the regions of Palestine and in this way the Holy Gospel was further spread.

The second term to be examined is "idol". An idol is generally classified as a statue or other type of image of a false god. It is anything worshipped in the place of the ONE TRUE GOD. This definitely does not apply to our veneering the saints. The saints had put God first in their life this is what made them honorable. Henceforth, it would be impossible to put saints before the TRUE GOD. It should be noted here as reference that anything put before God (possessions, money, fame) can also be idolatrous.

The last thing needing clarification is the celibacy of the clergy. Our clergy function as leaders of the church community(s). In the mid to late first century, the Church began to reserve the leadership title (such as bishop) for the men of spiritual qualification who were consecrated to follow the Apostles in their office of overseers. To further study this subject read Holy Book of Acts 1:15-26, and Holy Book of 1 Timothy 3:1-7. In the early church a bishop could be married. Today married clergy in the Orthodox Church exist only in the priesthood. The Ecumenical Councils sanctioned celibacy for bishops.

Celibacy has a lot of benefits for someone in spiritual leadership. Of primary importance is the fact that celibacy allows one to devote oneself to prayer. If the foremost role of the Church is to manifest the Kingdom of God on earth, prayer is essential. Church leaders must experience the fullness of prayer to continue in faith, love and holiness with the Lord Jesus Christ ever before them.

More specifically, the Lord Christ Himself in Matthew 19:12 praised those who were celibate by free choice in accordance with God's will. In the New Testament, St. Paul tells us (I Corinthians 7:1) that his personal preference was for celibacy and this he recognized as a "gift from God." Who are we to contradict this or God's will for the chosen to be celibate? St. Paul was a documented source for this way of leadership. He chose a way in which his focus could always be centered on the Lord Jesus Christ. This proved to be very effective in his travel and writings.

In answering your question, "How do I argue against this?" I would say that arguing is not the correct approach. If in a discussion these topics come forth, first discuss your love for the church, what kind of satisfaction you get from its teachings, and dogma, your love for the saints. This might perhaps lead another person’s heart to open up to want to hear about Orthodoxy. Remember the greatest commandment we are given is "To Love One Another." I believe there is a reason love is so emphasized in the Holy Bible. Think about this...The saints LOVED God, therefore we follow their exemplary love. Those seeking idol worship are seeking something to love; perhaps they do not know God. The celibate in our church love God and God loves them for their devotion to Him.

Use your questions as an incentive to search and study the Holy Scripture. It is the source of all knowledge, the thirst for which marks the beginning of wisdom.

It is my prayer that you daily search the Scriptures and encourage others to do so. In this way, you will be ready to answer whoever in ignorance questions the integrity of our Church’s beliefs and dogma, thus bringing praise to God’s Holy Name.