Constructive Synallelia

Fr. Stephen Freeman has posted an important entry on his blog about the role of freedom in permitting a believer to uncover his true self. Although his entry pertains directly to the field of psychology, it could apply also to the role of state compulsion in permitting or denying persons' ability to discover themselves.

The quotation from Fr. Dumitru Staniloae is instructive: “To the extent that man does not use his freedom, he is not himself. In order to emerge from that indeterminate state, he must utilize his freedom in order to know and be known as himself.”

I am optimistic about the emergence of an alternative to commonly-held Orthodox opinions about Church-State symphonia.