Hieromonk Anatoly (Berestov). "Orthodox sorcerers" – who are they?"
What spiritual trouble a person can get into if even for a moment he allows himself to be spiritually careless is told by a young parishioner V.:
"Once, when I was in Orekhovo-Zuevo, I complained to a woman I knew about my passion for the wine drinking, which was bothering me from time to time.
- You should go to Strunino, to Schemamonk Theodosius," she said, "he's an elder, fool for Christ, he heals with prayer, and predicts the future.
When she saw that I was hesitant, she added:
- Have no doubt, both teachers and professors from Moscow go to him - he is such a wonderful clairvoyant elder!
I did not risk going without the blessing of my spiritual advisor and told him about the Monk Theodore, or simply "Father Theodosius". All he said was, "Be careful," but then something distracted him and there was no time for the discussion. But I was so eager to get to "the elder" and get help as soon as possible, and I lied to my conscience – I convinced myself that my confessor had nevertheless blessed me to go to Strunino.
However, I met Theodosius for the first time in Orekhovo-Zuevo, when there were a lot of people there. They talked excitedly about his miracles: his mind-reading, and how he stopped a train. One woman didn't listen to him and went without his blessing. "You won't get there," said the elder. And sure enough – there was a broken wire, and the train stopped. "It was HE who broke the wire," the women said.
I was won over by the elder outward humility, discernment, and generosity without doubting: when he learned that there was not enough money to publish an acaphistus, he gave me quite a substantial sum of money without even thinking about it. It embarrassed me a little that, as they said, for some reason he saw a demon in everyone, or a curse, but I thought: maybe that' true, these are the near-end times, and we cannot see a lot of things...
He began to treat me... Looking at the icon of the Mother of God, he "communicates" with her, and then he looked into my eyes, so that I could not turn away from his gaze. I felt my spine begin to crack, and then I felt a pulling pain from my pelvis, as if something was being pulled out from inside me, and Theodosius had not even touched me.
They drank a lot of wine, and vodka, and pure alcohol at the common meal. Theodosius read prayers when we drank vodka. Some women were forced to drink an entire bottle of vodka. One of the women vomited, and he said:
- Drink some more, drink some more, it's the demons coming out of you!
Over the meal, he talked to people unceremoniously in a voice that was not his own, or he started criticizing Naum, an elder of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
Before he left, he told me:
– Bring a bottle of vodka next time. I'll pray - you'll drink one spoonful at a time - it'll be easier. You'll heal up good as new.
But after his prayers and drinking "the blessed vodka" – I do not know how to call it – there was such a turmoil! It's not that I didn't get rid of drinking alcohol – my bad habit nearly killed me. It came to the point when I was binge drinking. I rushed to "Father Theodosius" in despair:
– What should I do?! I'm possessed by demons!
- What did you think, the old man replied, - I have disturbed them!
And here it went again – the prayers, "a confession" (I thought only afterwards: what right did he have to receive confession, even if he was a monk, as he said, however not a hieromonk, but at that time I was kind of hypnotized and took everything that Theodosius was doing for granted). The elder took out holy oil, anointed me all over, including my private parts (I realized only afterwards – it was a blasphemy). And then he began to instruct me:
- Do not be afraid of fornication. Everyone fornicates, and so do bishops. This is a natural sin! And if you do - that' s just fine! And the sin of Sodom is no big deal!
Then he added:
- Just make sure you don't confess to anyone, or I won't treat you!
And then "the elder" began to persuade me to go to bed with him, as I understood, he wanted to make me fall into sodomy...
I've already heard something like that, but I didn't want to believe it. And then I was so shocked, I thought, "If it happens, I'm going to kill him!"
He must have understood my intentional threat. He stopped seducing me right away and said:
– Why do you want to kill me? I am deliberately tempting you to reinforce your faith! I want to show you that you're going to commit a lot more sins...
But it wasn't a temptation. His lustful words, his swearing and cursing mixed with prayers (I have never heard such horrible swearing as that of "the elder" for the rest of my life!) prove something else. After that visit, I was haunted by lustful thoughts for about a month. And only when I confessed, repented that I was tempted by the treatment of this false healer, then I felt better.
And I realized that I had to tell other people what had happened to me. For there are many people who trust Theodosius unconditionally. I don't know if he does the same thing to everyone that he tried to do to me, but after all he's not a man of God – no Orthodox Christian could even think of doing such a thing! And yet, people around him worship their "elder" so much that he has replaced Christ for them, they catch his every word, they serve him obediently. Are they deluded, or what? I have felt for myself the power he can take if you give him your free will. And his "sons and daughters" may not believe what I have told them, or even what I have written. But I do believe that God will not leave them deluded. How careful we Christians should be!"
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