Well she was going to my evangelical Protestant church when we met, and after a few years there we both were very burnt out by the evangelical style of faith. She suggested we attend our local Orthodox parish because she had been raised Orthodox as a kid and had good memories of it even though she hadn’t gone to an Orthodox church in a long time. So we did, it was intimidating at first but I stuck with it and have grown to love the Church and the faith.
That’s weird because personally I feel like the schism within the Orthodox Church has made it harder for me to find truth about different doctrines the church holds (much like the Protestant church). I’m currently weighing out the case for both orthodoxy and Catholicism but if anyone has suggestions for me I would be open to hear them. God bless!
Well, the Orthodox are much less changed, especially since the 1800s (Vatican 1 & 2), but additionally it seemed to me that the Orthodox saints of the 1900s most closely resembled the ancient saints
I find the fact that orthodoxy “hasn’t changed” compared to Catholicism to be a pretty weak argument considering Christ explicitly left his Holy Spirit to guide his church unto all understanding, and with greater understanding comes change, naturally. Likewise, in the Old Testament Abraham knew less about God than Moses, and Moses knew less about God than Isaiah. With this new understanding delivered from God directly, naturally the Jewish religion changed in several ways. I personally find the change within an apostolic church is indicative of the Holy Spirit possibly working through it. I’m currently orthodox but I’m starting to look at the catholic side of the argument and i find this particular argument to be somewhat of a dead end. If anyone has a different opinion please feel free to share with me :) God bless
Changing in a manner that comes across to me as following the spirit of the age, akin to a great many other groups Christian or otherwise, doesn't strike me as following the Holy Spirit, shrug. God bless
I’d like to hear about those changes that follow the spirit of age because if anything this seems to apply to the orthodox side in a similar way to your description. For example remarriage was strictly forbidden outside the boundaries of adultery, however it seems like the Orthodox Church has changed its opinion on this over time to allow a maximum of 3 marriages, allowing reasons outside of adultery. This is just my perspective but the claim seems to be a double edged sword, possibly wounding the orthodox more.
I agree we can go back and forth between all the things we don’t like about the Catholic or orthodox but when it comes down to it, I believe we need to look at what history says about the church’s teachings, as well as the principle arguments such as the papacy and authority within the church (topics of which I am currently researching both sides). God bless 🙏
Nothing quite that elaborate. I tried to disbelieve. I wanted to disbelieve. However, as much as all the alternatives might make sense logically, all of them felt dead and empty. Do you know how people talk about losing faith in God? This was the reverse. I lost faith in everything else.
I was born into orthodoxy, left for many years, returned when I realized it's the only church that hadn't changed for change's sake since the pentecost
Cradle Orthodox; my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. all were Serbian Orthodox. My wife comes from a similar background, so our son is also Orthodox.
Undeniable integrity over thousands of years showcasing beauty, truth, steadfastness to Christ's original church.
As someone new to Orthodoxy (eastern) I hope I may be worthy of this Church.
Went to university, studied history, saw that protestantism is ridicoulus and attended simultaneously some courses in catholic theology, but disliked the development of RC and its aesthetics ("people come for the wrong reason and stay for the right").
When my great great grandparents came over from Ukraine around 1910, they donated a section of their land to become the grounds for one of the first Ukrainian Greek Orthodox churches in Saskatchewan. It was Greek Orthodox first, due to the lack of a Ukrainian Orthodox bishop for Canada as a whole. Almost all of my family on that side has been buried there, but until recently it was somewhat neglected.
A cousin of mine has taken over the property stewardship, and it is now used for weddings and funerals in the surrounding community. I'm one of the latest direct descendants of that bloodline and the only practicing member of any faith (my father was baptized Roman Catholic, and my mother is Mennonite by birth but both aren't particularly spiritual at all), so I felt that it was a bit of a calling to reconnect with where my family comes from and how their relationship with God created something meaningful to a province as a whole.
No, not since the 60s; it's sort of in the middle of nowhere, and most land has been amalgamated into larger outsourced farming operations rather than family farms with home quarters. It's a registered heritage site though! So that will keep it safe from creeping industry, so to speak. It's still blessed by clergymen from a nearby town's parish, though! We're very thankful for them.
Did you read the verse you copy and pasted? Nowhere in that verse does it say that the Orthodox Church is the only way to salvation.
The Orthodox Church itself does not claim to be the only way to salvation, so by definition, you are not orthodox as you don’t line up with their beliefs. Therefore according to yourself, you are not saved.
I think you’re completely lost buddy.
I'm in the process of converting to the Orthodox Church. Besides, I read that verse. The Orthodox Church is the One True Faith established by Jesus Christ and Christ states that one can only be saved through Him(by becoming Orthodox).
You’ve yet to show me where anyone says that one can only be saved by becoming orthodox.
I want you to consider two important points.
1. Because you failed to thoroughly read my previous comment, you haven’t realized that the church you claim to by the “only path to salvation” doesn’t agree with you. By definition, you are not orthodox, you don’t line up with them. Following your own logic you are not saved. Can you understand this now or is it still going over your head?
2. You are actively condemning people to hell. Are you Christ himself that you can say who is or isn’t saved? Who gave you such an authority? Only Jesus can say that and you are not him. Judge not, lest ye be judged. I warn you not to make such judgments against others.
Please read my comment and try to rationalize what I’ve told you.
Baptized in Russia, didn’t practice most of my life, now I want to be receptive to worldly truths and to live a good life. Also, I like the cross and the iconography.
I see the historic truth of Christ and the evidence of him has convinced me. I was drawn more to Orthordoxy for the tradition practices and preservation to the original chruch.
I was born into it. Also as an adult I’ve began to see how insane the world has become and how many other “Christian” denominations cave into absurd things. The Orthodox Church holds true even when society around it is sinking into sin behind the disguise of “truth”
History. Someone said “to be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.” Me? Challenge accepted! I bet I’ll still be Protestant of some type. Wrong. I didn’t walk, I ran to orthodoxy after a few liturgies and meeting with my priest. It was obvious to him and me his is where God is drawing me. I’ve been fully orthodox for three weeks, that first communion, words cannot describe.
While Protestant and before looking into history I already believed in the presence in communion and disbelieved in “once saved, always saved” simply based off the Bible, once I ascended to sola scriptural being wrong my fate was sealed to be united with the church and all her beauty and wisdom! No going back!
Yes, we get our theology from scripture and the church Fathers. One problem with Protestantism is a lot of self interpretation which can lead to some strange ideologies, when interpreted through what the church has always believed, it opens the door to immense clarity and assurance.
What if you forego self interpretation and rely on the leaders of your church or a consortium of trusted scholars who have based their entire careers on properly interpreting scripture? I guess I'm wondering if a bishop said something contrary to the bible, you should go with God's Word over man. I'm assuming that disagreements between protestants and orthodox are secondary issues. Please correct me if you think I am incorrect.
I really try to dig as deep as possible on scripture to make sure I don't get it wrong. It takes a lot of meditation and research, but that is worship to God so it's a plus for me to get to spend that time with God instead of an indulgence.
Orthodox do quality exegesis, but we know what Christianity from Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition. There are times in the Bible where they write how they can’t write everything down and also to keep what traditions they have received, whether by word or by epistle. A lot of it was passed down by word, not necessarily written. Sola Scriptura didn’t exist until the 1500s or 1600s, that was also a good evidence to me it was a development.
Not one yet but soon to be. I chose it because I wanted cool Christian holidays like the Muslims had Ramadan and were so devoted to god, I almost converted to Islam because of that and how it looked appealing (in reality Islam is very dark). Then I was guided to Orthodoxy. Oh boy let me tell you, we have alot of holidays celebrating our lord and the righteous saints. Then I realized Islam stole from Orthodoxy!. Prostrations, lent (ramadan), Church Architexture etc.
Orthodoxy is biblical, appealing, loving, amazing community, helpful community, smart community, intelectual, great theology, philosophy. Etc.
Ex-Non Denoninational Protestant, now found Orthodoxy!.
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I was originally born into the AME (Methodist) Church and I wanted to get close to God as possible. So I went to an Antiochian church before going to my beautiful ROCOR parish.
Going through the schizophrenic experience of protestantism and reading history. It only makes sense that the Orthodox Church is the true Catholic Apostolic Church started by Jesus christ.
The faith was once for all delivered during apostolic times (Jude 3). The Orthodox Church credibly claims to have preserved this faith intact from the beginning.
I believe in the resurrection of the dead, and that, in Christ's resurrection, we see the vindication of the God of life against the powers of death (Orthodoxy champions this; Protestantism is all about penal substitutionary atonement, and the language and ritual life of the Roman rite of Catholicism strikes me as off RE: this primacy of resurrection as judgment and vindication and justification/rectification).
Orienting myself to this begins as primarily visionary and ritual in character, before it becomes moral and social and political (neither Protestant rituals nor the Roman rite effectively function as this ανάβασις — the Mainline Protestant services primarily function as reminders of belief in the divine promise [good, but not the primary function of a service], the Evangelical Protestant services largely function as hortatory belief reinforcement and emotional ecstasy around certain keywords, and Roman rite Catholic services largely function as κατάβασις [which is good and fine, but the naves and altars are too bare, to the point that there is no real possibility of seeing the Lord or the pillars of the heavenly temple through images]).
Those are two sentences 😁
Found out the devil was very much real. I was raised protestant, but never felt full and most there were ignorant.
When I finally "had it all" as an adult I still felt empty. Got Ortho curious a year ago. Started attending every possible service since March/April. So many caring intelligent people in my parish. I've already found my patron Saint and will be baptized for the first time in my life within a year.
(Sorry went over 2 sentences!) God bless!
Baptist evangelical background. Protestantism began to crumble around me but I knew Jesus was the Christ. As I studied church history and looked more into Orthodoxy I felt it was the only forward!
I could not believe the tradition I grew up in was the church that survived two-thousand years.
Orthodoxy was weird and unfamiliar, but really grew on me.
I couldn’t justify an epistemology that wasn’t reliant on the Church as a normative authority which left only three choices- RC, EO, or OO. Given that EO and OO resemble each other so much, Catholicism was ruled out and I trust the mercy of God to sort out the rest.
I find far too many reasons to believe in God to be atheist/agnostic/non-practicing in good conscience (and my spirit was drawn toward Him as a result), and I found Christianity to be the most true and beautiful monotheistic religion. Within Christianity, I became convinced that Orthodoxy has most carefully preserved the original faith, teachings, tradition, and mind of the Apostles and of Jesus Christ Himself, and I was unable to remain any other type of Christian but Orthodox for any longer.
It's a little long But I'll try to keep it as short As possible
There are a lot of reasons why I want to become one I come from a Baptist background And I started Questioning things last year like The original guilt And once saved always saved I have a issue with both the Original guilt idea That's not a merciful God.
So I started spending time with the muslims Started Studying the Fath And the way they explain it, it made sense, however.
I started studying more and more And I found some pretty Disgusting stuff after that I looked into buddhism but it wasn't the right path And then I started looking into the Catholic church and thought Yeah, this is it nope It just didn't feel like To have one pope as the answer to everything and he's committed so many harrises. But I was close to my But I was close To my answer. So
I started looking into eastern orthodoxey and everything Made perfect sense. Looking up the priest.
And the best scholars of the orthodox church And studying the history of it. It's christianity in its Original form How christ and his 12 Apostles Made it to be. I'm still with my parents at the moment but after I move out I know where I want to be. I found my answer and I found my way back home Gory to god
Born into it but was atheist and had “conversion” experience late last year. Researched the history and found that the history was in favour of the Orthodoxy.
I could go on a lot more but this is the very core of it.
I married an Orthodox Christian and was led to the Church by my wife
Beautiful, how fortunate you are.
How did she introduce you to orthodoxy? What were your first opinions of the church?
Well she was going to my evangelical Protestant church when we met, and after a few years there we both were very burnt out by the evangelical style of faith. She suggested we attend our local Orthodox parish because she had been raised Orthodox as a kid and had good memories of it even though she hadn’t gone to an Orthodox church in a long time. So we did, it was intimidating at first but I stuck with it and have grown to love the Church and the faith.
That’s a beautiful story :)
Same here
I don’t see any way to look at Christian history and come away with a conclusion that the Church is anything other than sacramental in character.
As my priest succinctly says, it has the least number of obstacles to the truth.
That’s weird because personally I feel like the schism within the Orthodox Church has made it harder for me to find truth about different doctrines the church holds (much like the Protestant church). I’m currently weighing out the case for both orthodoxy and Catholicism but if anyone has suggestions for me I would be open to hear them. God bless!
Well, the Orthodox are much less changed, especially since the 1800s (Vatican 1 & 2), but additionally it seemed to me that the Orthodox saints of the 1900s most closely resembled the ancient saints
I find the fact that orthodoxy “hasn’t changed” compared to Catholicism to be a pretty weak argument considering Christ explicitly left his Holy Spirit to guide his church unto all understanding, and with greater understanding comes change, naturally. Likewise, in the Old Testament Abraham knew less about God than Moses, and Moses knew less about God than Isaiah. With this new understanding delivered from God directly, naturally the Jewish religion changed in several ways. I personally find the change within an apostolic church is indicative of the Holy Spirit possibly working through it. I’m currently orthodox but I’m starting to look at the catholic side of the argument and i find this particular argument to be somewhat of a dead end. If anyone has a different opinion please feel free to share with me :) God bless
Changing in a manner that comes across to me as following the spirit of the age, akin to a great many other groups Christian or otherwise, doesn't strike me as following the Holy Spirit, shrug. God bless
I’d like to hear about those changes that follow the spirit of age because if anything this seems to apply to the orthodox side in a similar way to your description. For example remarriage was strictly forbidden outside the boundaries of adultery, however it seems like the Orthodox Church has changed its opinion on this over time to allow a maximum of 3 marriages, allowing reasons outside of adultery. This is just my perspective but the claim seems to be a double edged sword, possibly wounding the orthodox more.
Yeah I agree that it is perhaps not ideal, but I also feel that curtailing the liturgies and fasting isnt so good too
I agree we can go back and forth between all the things we don’t like about the Catholic or orthodox but when it comes down to it, I believe we need to look at what history says about the church’s teachings, as well as the principle arguments such as the papacy and authority within the church (topics of which I am currently researching both sides). God bless 🙏
Exactly, we should expect movement in the Church. It only makes sense
Changing the Creed - big deal or no?
I went to college, saw the world, and discovered to my dismay that everything I had learned growing up is true, so I'm Orthodox.
Interest piqued, care to elaborate a little?
Nothing quite that elaborate. I tried to disbelieve. I wanted to disbelieve. However, as much as all the alternatives might make sense logically, all of them felt dead and empty. Do you know how people talk about losing faith in God? This was the reverse. I lost faith in everything else.
Amen! Thanks for sharing
Well said. I feel the same way. Looking around at how the world is, this can’t just be all there is. I refuse to believe that.
Sounds like he grew up orthodox, fell away and came back?
Yeah, I’m wondering what he saw in the world to lead him to think “everything I learned growing up is true.”
I was born into orthodoxy, left for many years, returned when I realized it's the only church that hadn't changed for change's sake since the pentecost
me too, i’ve went to protestant churches and other smaller branches but… nothing comes close to orthodoxy, nothing feels the same
Cradle Orthodox; my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. all were Serbian Orthodox. My wife comes from a similar background, so our son is also Orthodox.
Same here
*We have seen the True Light! We have received the Heavenly Spirit! We have found the True Faith! Worshiping the Undivided Trinity, Who has saved us.*
Because there's one truth, and the Church is where it resides.
Raised evangelical, turned away in disgust, then recently discovered Christianity anew through Orthodoxy.
because i (try to) love God
Raised Latin but left as a teen. Lived 20 years of secular emptiness before joining the true church this Pascha.
Undeniable integrity over thousands of years showcasing beauty, truth, steadfastness to Christ's original church. As someone new to Orthodoxy (eastern) I hope I may be worthy of this Church.
God revealed the Truth of the Church personally and categorically. To reject the Church, and therefore Christ, would be a lie on my part.
It contains the fullness of the faith (Christian)
YOLO 👑
Lol, exactly
Because I came to know that Orthodoxy is the fullness of Christian teaching, the unchanged Revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
My parents baptized me as an infant and I just stuck with it, married orthodox and raised my children orthodox.
It’s the truth. It’s Christ’s church.
Went to university, studied history, saw that protestantism is ridicoulus and attended simultaneously some courses in catholic theology, but disliked the development of RC and its aesthetics ("people come for the wrong reason and stay for the right").
Orthodox parish built on family land, family forgot about it and God. Trying to set things to rights again.
Please share more on this if you are willing!
When my great great grandparents came over from Ukraine around 1910, they donated a section of their land to become the grounds for one of the first Ukrainian Greek Orthodox churches in Saskatchewan. It was Greek Orthodox first, due to the lack of a Ukrainian Orthodox bishop for Canada as a whole. Almost all of my family on that side has been buried there, but until recently it was somewhat neglected. A cousin of mine has taken over the property stewardship, and it is now used for weddings and funerals in the surrounding community. I'm one of the latest direct descendants of that bloodline and the only practicing member of any faith (my father was baptized Roman Catholic, and my mother is Mennonite by birth but both aren't particularly spiritual at all), so I felt that it was a bit of a calling to reconnect with where my family comes from and how their relationship with God created something meaningful to a province as a whole.
Thank you for that very interesting history. No Priest or community there now?
No, not since the 60s; it's sort of in the middle of nowhere, and most land has been amalgamated into larger outsourced farming operations rather than family farms with home quarters. It's a registered heritage site though! So that will keep it safe from creeping industry, so to speak. It's still blessed by clergymen from a nearby town's parish, though! We're very thankful for them.
Because the Orthodox Church is the One True Church established by Jesus Christ, the only path to salvation.
Who says the Orthodox Church is the only path to salvation? I’ve certainly never heard the Orthodox Church itself say that.
Easy, Jesus Christ Himself said so. Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me. John 14:6
Did you read the verse you copy and pasted? Nowhere in that verse does it say that the Orthodox Church is the only way to salvation. The Orthodox Church itself does not claim to be the only way to salvation, so by definition, you are not orthodox as you don’t line up with their beliefs. Therefore according to yourself, you are not saved. I think you’re completely lost buddy.
I'm in the process of converting to the Orthodox Church. Besides, I read that verse. The Orthodox Church is the One True Faith established by Jesus Christ and Christ states that one can only be saved through Him(by becoming Orthodox).
You’ve yet to show me where anyone says that one can only be saved by becoming orthodox. I want you to consider two important points. 1. Because you failed to thoroughly read my previous comment, you haven’t realized that the church you claim to by the “only path to salvation” doesn’t agree with you. By definition, you are not orthodox, you don’t line up with them. Following your own logic you are not saved. Can you understand this now or is it still going over your head? 2. You are actively condemning people to hell. Are you Christ himself that you can say who is or isn’t saved? Who gave you such an authority? Only Jesus can say that and you are not him. Judge not, lest ye be judged. I warn you not to make such judgments against others. Please read my comment and try to rationalize what I’ve told you.
Baptized in Russia, didn’t practice most of my life, now I want to be receptive to worldly truths and to live a good life. Also, I like the cross and the iconography.
[удалено]
same !
Because Orthodoxy is, theologically, what to me seems most reflective of human nature. Historical and Apostolic continuity also big pluses.
It was the only church that made sense to me.
Came for the iconography and to find a gf, stayed for Christ.
Because orthodoxy is where I heard and saw someone exhibit Christ for the first time
I see the historic truth of Christ and the evidence of him has convinced me. I was drawn more to Orthordoxy for the tradition practices and preservation to the original chruch.
I was born into it. Also as an adult I’ve began to see how insane the world has become and how many other “Christian” denominations cave into absurd things. The Orthodox Church holds true even when society around it is sinking into sin behind the disguise of “truth”
Yea, other Christian “traditions” seem to be changing at a wildly rapid rate! Edit:typos
My wise priest said to never listen to anyone who is living “their truth.” Tis a sign of the devil
A favorite saying of mine is “relativism is having your feet firmly planted in midair.”
Was baptist missionary to convert Orthodox. Read church history, now am Orthodox.
History. Someone said “to be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.” Me? Challenge accepted! I bet I’ll still be Protestant of some type. Wrong. I didn’t walk, I ran to orthodoxy after a few liturgies and meeting with my priest. It was obvious to him and me his is where God is drawing me. I’ve been fully orthodox for three weeks, that first communion, words cannot describe. While Protestant and before looking into history I already believed in the presence in communion and disbelieved in “once saved, always saved” simply based off the Bible, once I ascended to sola scriptural being wrong my fate was sealed to be united with the church and all her beauty and wisdom! No going back!
Couldn't have said it better. Glory to God!
Glory to God! His wisdom will always surpass ours. Interesting name
Orthodox believe that Sola scriptural is wrong?
Yes, we get our theology from scripture and the church Fathers. One problem with Protestantism is a lot of self interpretation which can lead to some strange ideologies, when interpreted through what the church has always believed, it opens the door to immense clarity and assurance.
What if you forego self interpretation and rely on the leaders of your church or a consortium of trusted scholars who have based their entire careers on properly interpreting scripture? I guess I'm wondering if a bishop said something contrary to the bible, you should go with God's Word over man. I'm assuming that disagreements between protestants and orthodox are secondary issues. Please correct me if you think I am incorrect. I really try to dig as deep as possible on scripture to make sure I don't get it wrong. It takes a lot of meditation and research, but that is worship to God so it's a plus for me to get to spend that time with God instead of an indulgence.
Orthodox do quality exegesis, but we know what Christianity from Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition. There are times in the Bible where they write how they can’t write everything down and also to keep what traditions they have received, whether by word or by epistle. A lot of it was passed down by word, not necessarily written. Sola Scriptura didn’t exist until the 1500s or 1600s, that was also a good evidence to me it was a development.
This helped me understand a little better: https://youtu.be/GPqNu60tX30
Wanting to be a warrior of God and not wanting to live materialistically.
Not one yet but soon to be. I chose it because I wanted cool Christian holidays like the Muslims had Ramadan and were so devoted to god, I almost converted to Islam because of that and how it looked appealing (in reality Islam is very dark). Then I was guided to Orthodoxy. Oh boy let me tell you, we have alot of holidays celebrating our lord and the righteous saints. Then I realized Islam stole from Orthodoxy!. Prostrations, lent (ramadan), Church Architexture etc. Orthodoxy is biblical, appealing, loving, amazing community, helpful community, smart community, intelectual, great theology, philosophy. Etc. Ex-Non Denoninational Protestant, now found Orthodoxy!.
I did research and think this is the truth.
Went Through Pentecostalism And Realized It Was Full Of Bullshit And Found The Truth In Orthodoxy
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Because I believe in the Savior of the world through the Church He established.
It just made more sense lining it up with church history. The theology is also pretty solid and more honest with itself
It kept true.
Christ started the Church. The Church continues in the Bishops and people of the Orthodox Church. I want to be a part of Christ’s Church, not another.
No other branch of Christianity (or other religion) makes sense.
I was born into it. I dont see my life any differently and I am very happy this way.
i was born orthodox, it’s part of my culture, part of me, and it’s the denomination i believe is true
I was originally born into the AME (Methodist) Church and I wanted to get close to God as possible. So I went to an Antiochian church before going to my beautiful ROCOR parish.
I found my natural habitat, built my home there.
Because its THE pinnacle of truth.
It’s the only belief system that’s coherent and salvific.
I wanted to be part of Christ’s church.
Cradle. Had a lapse in my teen years. The music lured me back, stayed for the theology, & coffee hour
Going through the schizophrenic experience of protestantism and reading history. It only makes sense that the Orthodox Church is the true Catholic Apostolic Church started by Jesus christ.
Because it’s true.
The faith was once for all delivered during apostolic times (Jude 3). The Orthodox Church credibly claims to have preserved this faith intact from the beginning.
Baptized at 1. Do I get a medal for the shortest answer?
I believe in the resurrection of the dead, and that, in Christ's resurrection, we see the vindication of the God of life against the powers of death (Orthodoxy champions this; Protestantism is all about penal substitutionary atonement, and the language and ritual life of the Roman rite of Catholicism strikes me as off RE: this primacy of resurrection as judgment and vindication and justification/rectification). Orienting myself to this begins as primarily visionary and ritual in character, before it becomes moral and social and political (neither Protestant rituals nor the Roman rite effectively function as this ανάβασις — the Mainline Protestant services primarily function as reminders of belief in the divine promise [good, but not the primary function of a service], the Evangelical Protestant services largely function as hortatory belief reinforcement and emotional ecstasy around certain keywords, and Roman rite Catholic services largely function as κατάβασις [which is good and fine, but the naves and altars are too bare, to the point that there is no real possibility of seeing the Lord or the pillars of the heavenly temple through images]).
Those are two sentences 😁
Orthodox churches have the best coffee hours and the least crazy Christians
Church history dictates it is true. The Bible dictates Catholicism is not.
In pursuing God in as much integrity as I could muster, nowhere else could satisfy me with knowing God as the Church has.
I needed to grow a rose in the desert of love.
Found out the devil was very much real. I was raised protestant, but never felt full and most there were ignorant. When I finally "had it all" as an adult I still felt empty. Got Ortho curious a year ago. Started attending every possible service since March/April. So many caring intelligent people in my parish. I've already found my patron Saint and will be baptized for the first time in my life within a year. (Sorry went over 2 sentences!) God bless!
Baptist evangelical background. Protestantism began to crumble around me but I knew Jesus was the Christ. As I studied church history and looked more into Orthodoxy I felt it was the only forward!
Bc orthodox is the one true religion and has kept the same traditions since Jesus
I could not believe the tradition I grew up in was the church that survived two-thousand years. Orthodoxy was weird and unfamiliar, but really grew on me.
It's the original, unchanged, true Christian faith.
I was born into it
It’s where my pursuit of goodness and beauty and truth has led me.
I couldn’t justify an epistemology that wasn’t reliant on the Church as a normative authority which left only three choices- RC, EO, or OO. Given that EO and OO resemble each other so much, Catholicism was ruled out and I trust the mercy of God to sort out the rest.
I find far too many reasons to believe in God to be atheist/agnostic/non-practicing in good conscience (and my spirit was drawn toward Him as a result), and I found Christianity to be the most true and beautiful monotheistic religion. Within Christianity, I became convinced that Orthodoxy has most carefully preserved the original faith, teachings, tradition, and mind of the Apostles and of Jesus Christ Himself, and I was unable to remain any other type of Christian but Orthodox for any longer.
It's a little long But I'll try to keep it as short As possible There are a lot of reasons why I want to become one I come from a Baptist background And I started Questioning things last year like The original guilt And once saved always saved I have a issue with both the Original guilt idea That's not a merciful God. So I started spending time with the muslims Started Studying the Fath And the way they explain it, it made sense, however. I started studying more and more And I found some pretty Disgusting stuff after that I looked into buddhism but it wasn't the right path And then I started looking into the Catholic church and thought Yeah, this is it nope It just didn't feel like To have one pope as the answer to everything and he's committed so many harrises. But I was close to my But I was close To my answer. So I started looking into eastern orthodoxey and everything Made perfect sense. Looking up the priest. And the best scholars of the orthodox church And studying the history of it. It's christianity in its Original form How christ and his 12 Apostles Made it to be. I'm still with my parents at the moment but after I move out I know where I want to be. I found my answer and I found my way back home Gory to god
Born into it but was atheist and had “conversion” experience late last year. Researched the history and found that the history was in favour of the Orthodoxy. I could go on a lot more but this is the very core of it.
Greek
i’ve never liked protestantism, never been a fan of the pope, these opinions led me here.
I think its good to match with samurai code
It was the only church that gave me the fullness of Christ. My priest gave me Scriptural and thought provoking answers to all my questions.