It seems that the Old Believers with priests, either from Bela Krinitsa or the Patriarchate (separate organization but maintaining good relations), are the natural allies of those in the traditional Orthodox movement who do not accept the MP. The Old Faith heroically stood for the independence of the Orthodox church when it was subordinated by Peter I as a “department of state.” The Emperors chose bishops and moved them around at will. The manipulation of the church did not to begin with Lenin.
The ancient traditions of Russia, until the diaspora, existed almost solely with the Old Belief. Slowly, the ancient icons and rituals of Orthodoxy were restored through the 19th century, though only in fits and starts. Nikon’s reforms, after several generations of development, included the banning of the 8-bar cross, the use of western pictures as “icons,” elimination of traditional Russian architecture, separation of baptism from chrisimation, the slow dismantling of monasticism, performance of baptism by aspersion, attacks on the institution of eldership and hesychasm, and the elimination of the western rite. Much of this was eventually restored, but too little and too late: the monarchy lost its most devoted supporters, and the Old Believers became the enemies of the state that martyred them in large numbers. This is one of the most important reasons for the fall of the monarchy in 1917. I have attempted, with various degrees of success to translate these articles from the Russia. I warn the reader that my translation skills leave much to be desired, and I apologize in advance for the inevitable errors in translation–MRJ, 2008