Blasphemous thoughts?

From what I recall thoughts like this, from the Desert Fathers, EO books and articles, are often considered Logismoi even though they may originate from demons rather than your own passions etc. but the general kinds of advice applies.


Logismoi: Defining Logismoi—From Evagrius to Brad Pitt

Rejecting Blasphemous Thoughts

Rejecting Blasphemous Thoughts, Part 2

they are lies of the enemy, put them out of your mind and don't focus on them

My wife went through this pretty soon after her Baptism. It wasn't fun.

As always you need to talk to your priest, they might want to read you prayers, maybe do a blessing of the house, etc. or maybe not, they know better.

In the meantime do not "engage" with these thoughts, do not "discuss" them in your mind, do not pay attention, if you are reading prayers or Psalms, etc. when this happens, do not stop and make sure you say the words out loud not in your head.

SamanthaAnastasia said:

sometimes it’s just good to idk explain things

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yep, it happens to the best of us

I have struggled with evil thoughts before I confessed my sinful state & put my faith in the Lord. Before I became Orthodox my situation was better but uneven. Upon becoming Orthodox ( in 2005) the struggle continues although I understand it better & see the delicate balance in which repentance is ongoing. The sacraments have been such a blessing. Mind you this is my individual experience; we all vary, of course

I often find the St. John’s 1st letter ( 1 John) very helpful.

Is this thought mine or did it come from another source? (is it due to my passions or is it demonic)
Do I want this thought? (No? - dismiss it and move on. Yes? - you've got bigger issues. Go to confession)

I went through a period where even Divine Liturgy was difficult to get through, I was so distracted by thoughts like these. It passes. Endure and don'r stop praying.

Do not pay attention to them.

ArmyMatt said:

yep, it happens to the best of us

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Indeed; while I am probably the worst of us, I have suffered intrusive thoughts and anxiety. The only place where I have found relief from these has been via confession and the Eucharist in OCA and ROCOR parishes (I never went to confession at a Greek parish, but the way the OCA and ROCOR have you do it during the Hours before the Divine Liturgy makes it extremely accessible). A relative of mine had a wonderful confession with Hegumen Paisios of St. Anthony’s Monastery in 2015, who had taken over day to day management by that time from Elder Ephraim of Arizona, memory eternal, who I once by accident had a wordless encounter with in which we communicated a great deal (he spoke Greek and I didn’t, but I got lost and was looking for my relative my first night in the monastery, before the Divine Liturgy, and I encountered him by accident as I inadvertantly entered the Katholikon not through the doors to the Narthex, but rather through the passage that leads to the rooms where he and Elder Paisios received visitors).

As an example of the kind of malignant thought I experienced before an Orthodox clergyman delivered me from it via confession and reconciliation, I used to be terrified of hearses, but he made me realize they are beautiful vehicles we use to take our loved ones to the place where their bodies will repose temporarily before the Resurrection. I had this distorted Western Church mentality of death.

The Liturgist said:

A relative of mine had a wonderful confession with Hegumen Paisios of St. Anthony’s Monastery in 2015, who had taken over day to day management by that time from Elder Ephraim of Arizona, memory eternal, who I once by accident had a wordless encounter with in which we communicated a great deal (he spoke Greek and I didn’t, but I got lost and was looking for my relative my first night in the monastery, before the Divine Liturgy, and I encountered him by accident as I inadvertantly entered the Katholikon not through the doors to the Narthex, but rather through the passage that leads to the rooms where he and Elder Paisios received visitors).

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I also met Elder Ephraim once, and went to confession with Elder Paisios. and what you encountered probably wasn't an accident, haha.