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Some of them simply wanted liturgical reforms, such as using the vernacular Russian in the Divine Liturgy as opposed to Old Church Slavonic. Some even tried to change the way the churches were laid out. They thought that there was too much emphasis on mystery by having the altar behind the iconostasis, so they wanted to move the altar out among the people. This didn’t last very long because the people would have none of it. It was too opposed to tradition.

Each Synagogue was oriented towards Jerusalem, so that when you walk in, you are facing that direction. Near the opposite wall, towards Jerusalem, there was an Ark. Each Ark is symbolically connected to the Ark of the Temple. Inside that Arc is where the Scriptures were kept. Separating the Arc from the people was a veil. In front of that veil was a Menorah. Sound familiar?

Others wanted to change the service to make it shorter and more comprehensible to the ordinary layperson.

Oh my. Like it isn't short enough already. The Liturgy of St. James was nearly 5 hours long! The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is maybe 90 minutes. As my bishop has been known to point out, "Judas was the last to arrive and the first to leave." Maybe we could stick around a while? As for making it comprehensible... oh boy. The short of it is that we worship this way because it is the revealed truth. If we don't comprehend it, we need to keep trying until we do. Modifying the truth is not a solution.

You say other Red Priests saw no need for saints and icons.

Ha! I see no need for Red Priests. So there!

Saints are a part of the Body of Christ, just as we are. That they are dead to this world is not an issue for us as Christians. What are we to say next? That death can separate the Body of Christ? Perish the thought! And those icons are symbollic links to those Saints, who are in heaven worshipping with us.

These were the most radical priests—those who were attempting a reformation, which was a common theme. They were willing to embrace Communist ideals as social ideals—Christianity is a religion that should address human needs and not be so concerned with liturgical function, with hierarchy.

This is insane. Liturgical function *IS* a human need. We are created to worship in this manner. Nothing is real to us without our senses. Did not Thomas touch the wounds of Christ? Was this not to make more real the truth of which his eyes had already reported? What we do is also important, because the body is linked to the mind. We are, by and large, experiential creatures.

That aside, it should also be kept in mind that this is the form of worship that God has instructed us to use. The relatively few modifications we have made were necessary. The addition of the Eucharist, Gospel readings, etc. These changes coincide with the changes brought about by Christ. That being so, we can continue to worship God in full truth.

Also, it seems to me that if we remove ourselves bodily from the worship service (by ceasing to be liturgical), then the only thing we have left to use is the mind. Somehow, that strikes me as covertly gnostic.

They thought saints and icons would not be necessary—after all, they were in a society that was talking about forming the new Soviet man. This new culture would produce new people who would no longer need icons and saints, but rather would trust in one another and support one another.

Goodbye Truth, hello apostasy. IMHO, this is a Satanic attempt to undermine the Orthodox faith.