View source for Lazar (Puhalo) of Ottawa

Retired archbishop Lazar (Puhalo) is an outspoken [[heretic]] who has switched [[Jurisdiction#Jurisdiction hopping|jurisdiction]] several times between the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]], the [[Free Serbian Orthodox Church]], [[Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece]], the [[Holy Synod of Milan]], the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church&ndash;Kiev Patriarchate]], and most recently the [[OCA]].

Abp. Lazar is especially infamous for his wholehearted endorsement of [[transgenderism]]. Not as a personal choice of adults does he endorse it&mdash;which would be horrifically evil by itself&mdash;but he also states categorically that children are the opposite sex of their actual sex from before birth.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUEh55uM07E</ref> His heretical teachings on transgenderism and [[homosexuality]] have been censured by the OCA&mdash;among the most radically liberal of all [[World Orthodox]] jurisdictions&mdash;and Abp. Lazar is not permitted to express them publicly. Despite this he has in no way repudiated his teachings and has in fact claimed that he is not permitted to teach the truth.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/lazar.puhalo.3/posts/645883092109811?comment_id=6500828&offset=0&total_comments=46 This Facebook post] appears to no longer be available but [http://fatherjohn.blogspot.com/2013/11/puhalo-rants-again-on-transgenderism.html here is commentary] by Fr. John Whiteford ([[ROCOR-MP]]) who quotes: “I have been forbidden by "higher ups" to express any truth about the nature of the issue, so I only express the official doctrine of the Church.”</ref>

Like most [[modernists]] he denies the inerrancy of [[Holy Scripture]], but he takes it one step further by explicitly denying the inspiration of Scripture.<ref>In truth this is the logical conclusion of all modernist teaching on Scripture since God must necessarily be inerrant. However, other modernists are often not as open with their views. [https://youtu.be/zWHi0tuMrio?t=742 In this video] Abp. Lazar claims that the Bible was written by men, sometimes with and sometimes without God.</ref>

Abp. Lazar (at the time Deacon Lev Puhalo) stirred controversy with his reaction to Fr. [[Seraphim Rose]]'s book, ''The Soul After Death'', in prolific correspondence as well as his own book, ''The Soul, the Body and Death''. Dcn. Lev wrote blatantly erroneous accusations of heresy against Fr. Seraphim, in the process making various heretical claims including [[soul sleep]]. Due to these issues, the Holy Synod of ROCOR in 1980 forbade Dcn. Lev from teaching until he agreed not to engage in disputes which may confuse the faithful. Both sides were ordered to end the controversy.<ref>http://orthodoxinfo.com/death/tollhouse_debate.aspx</ref> Along with Fr. [[Michael Azkoul]], Abp. Lazar remains one of the main opponents of the doctrine of the [[Aerial Toll-Houses]].<ref>https://classicalchristianity.com/2012/03/01/from-repose-to-resurrection-the-intermediate-state-of-souls/</ref>

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[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:20th Century]]
[[Category:21st Century]]