The Seraphinians

Dear Reader;

Q: How many admirers of "Blessed Seraphim Rose" does it take to perform a fair, impartial, honest, and accurate scientific study of the age of the universe?

A: No one knows. (It's never been tried )

In retrospect, and after years and a very slight new revision, this is a book about possible "half-converted" status among Fr. Seraphim (Rose) of Plantina, a possible "half-converted status" that may bleed into his following.

The author once put a hand on a dear friend's shoulder and said, "It's been a while since I spent some quality time criticizing you. What's your favorite way of being criticized?" And indeed, most people don't like to be critiqued. Numerous fans of Fr. Seraphim have given one-star reviews to this title, which especially given their social dynamic is to be expected if this book is wrong, and almost equally to be expected if it is right.

As regards the reviews, this is the only work written by author where a reviewer have publicly cast doubt on whether he was sober when he wrote it. (The reader is invited to search for other titles by "C.J.S. Hayward" most have higher ratings, and even the ones with lower ratings do not have such insults in reviews.) Come to think of it, the author's knowledge of Amazon reviews overall is limited, but he does not recall this kind of hostile response to any other work by any other author in any review he is read.) The "Full of logical fallacies--be warned " review is somewhat difficult to answer as the alleged fallacies are identified briefly at best, but receptive readers might consider:

First, the author ranked 7th in nation in one math contest.

Second, the author has a first master's from UIUC straddling math and computers, including postgraduate coursework in logic, and seriously considered getting a logic PhD.

Third, the author has a second master's from Cambridge University straddling theology and philosophy, including a dissertation on fallacies in some kinds of theology.

The author does not deny the probable presence of fallacies and errors in his corpus at points; however, it is interesting that it is the one, out of dozens of his titles, where readers allege fallacies and apparently quite a few of them.

(It is possible that some of the criticisms in this book hit home among Fr. Seraphim's devotees.)

If you are a loyal fan of Fr. Seraphim, you're welcome to read this, but expect to need to find serious fault with the work.

If you are Orthodox and have been uncomfortable or concerned with the "Blessed Seraphim Rose and Elder Ephraim" crowd, and especially if you want to put a finger on why but can't pin it down, this book is very much written just for you.

Cordially,
C.J.S. Hayward

P.S. Read ALL the reviews. They make the author's point far better than the author could have.