Returning to the Orthodox faith?

[Gnarwhal]

It sounds like you'd be more satisfied with Evangelicalism.

 

[Fotina]

I am honestly trying to give Eastern Orthodoxy a chance, yet I remain ambivalent and non-committal about it.

What do you want the Church to do for you?

 

[Yoder777]

It sounds like you'd be more satisfied with Evangelicalism.

There is no mystical and liturgical tradition in evangelicalism and their theology lacks intelligence. Most importantly, they don't believe in and practice the Eucharist.

 

[Lukaris]

Yoder,
I think I can understand some of your predicament because on a lay level (outside of internetodoxy) a person may have little ability to discuss faith. An elderly person in our church once (kindly) said to me, "I knew your grandmother and she read the Bible!" was she the last person there who did? I am a convert but my paternal grandparents were cradle Syrian Orthodox.

Our church survives on dishing out weekly spaghetti dinners 9 months out of the year. We have an overall aging & mostly kindly congregation of good Orthodox Christians & a solid priest but we also stagnate & gradually deteriorate. I personally work as a janitor, serve on counsel, sing in choir, & work at the (ugh. as in tiresome, the food is good) spaghetti dinners i addition to my day job (I am single so I do not have the stress of a family but it still takes a good portion of time also).

Personally, I will always try to encourage an individual to be Orthodox but I would also recommend being Catholic, Lutheran (Missouri synod), Methodist (confessing) etc. if the person's situation was best for these & though I am not en ecumenist, from where I am I know a person needs Jesus Christ.

 

[Gnarwhal]

Yoder,
I think I can understand some of your predicament because on a lay level (outside of internetodoxy) a person may have little ability to discuss faith. An elderly person in our church once (kindly) said to me, "I knew your grandmother and she read the Bible!" was she the last person there who did? I am a convert but my paternal grandparents were cradle Syrian Orthodox.

Our church survives on dishing out weekly spaghetti dinners 9 months out of the year. We have an overall aging & mostly kindly congregation of good Orthodox Christians & a solid priest but we also stagnate & gradually deteriorate. I personally work as a janitor, serve on counsel, sing in choir, & work at the (ugh. as in tiresome, the food is good) spaghetti dinners i addition to my day job (I am single so I do not have the stress of a family but it still takes a good portion of time also).

Personally, I will always try to encourage an individual to be Orthodox but I would also recommend being Catholic, Lutheran (Missouri synod), Methodist (confessing) etc. if the person's situation was best for these & though I am not en ecumenist, from where I am I know a person needs Jesus Christ.

Good post.

Yes, Yoder, Evangelicalism may not be Eucharistic so maybe something more mainline would be your flavor. I believe the Anglicans/Episcopalians, Lutherans and Methodists are all Eucharistic, and it seems like as far as doctrines being open and up for discussion, they might be closer to what you desire?

My priest spoke at my old church a couple of months ago and I remember he told them that Tradition is like Thanksgiving Day, there's some things that are up for discussion, debate and perhaps even change (like whether you serve turkey or not) and those would be akin to secondary or tertiary matters in the Church. The other things are not, such as what day of the month Thanksgiving falls on. That's a national holiday and not up for discussion, that would probably be akin to primary doctrinal matters in the Church and things that are addressed in the Nicene Creed.

I think it helped drive home, for my former co-congregants, the notion that there are just some things we cannot change and more importantly they shouldn't be changed.

I'm not sure specifically what Orthodox doctrines you have an issue with, but they may not be something anybody with any influence would approve of changing, ya know?

 

[HalupkiMonster]

Yoder,

Please forgive me, I can't be bothered to read all 9 pages of this, so I've skimmed and think I have a general idea of your plight.

If you feel the need to leave Orthodoxy, go. If you truly want to, no one will be able to convince you otherwise. You'll go where you feel you fit best, and experience new forms of worship and interpretation of the Christian faith.

Just come home when you're done, okay?

I recently went through a year-long bout of apostasy. I went to the Masjid/Mosque, the Reform Jewish Synagogue, and finally to the Episcopal Church. I had lost my belief in God totally, and went for a few months with no beliefs, until I realized that God is always there and loves me. I had to experience other forms of faith, and they certainly strengthened my own.

In the end, I realized that I'm an Orthodox Christian. The people at Church are my family and I love them. The Orthodox Christian faith is the faith that has stood strong through the centuries. This is the faith that creates and sustains the universe, as well as each and every one of us. Until I realized that, I was utterly unhappy in the Church.

You may need to take time off if you're unsure. When you know what you want, come back and explain. Your priest might not be totally understanding, but he'll be sympathetic (just watch that you DO NOT have a bris, say the shahada, or receive Communion in a non-Orthodox Church )

Good luck on your journey, my friend.

 

[Yoder777]

Yoder,
I think I can understand some of your predicament because on a lay level (outside of internetodoxy) a person may have little ability to discuss faith. An elderly person in our church once (kindly) said to me, "I knew your grandmother and she read the Bible!" was she the last person there who did? I am a convert but my paternal grandparents were cradle Syrian Orthodox.

Our church survives on dishing out weekly spaghetti dinners 9 months out of the year. We have an overall aging & mostly kindly congregation of good Orthodox Christians & a solid priest but we also stagnate & gradually deteriorate. I personally work as a janitor, serve on counsel, sing in choir, & work at the (ugh. as in tiresome, the food is good) spaghetti dinners i addition to my day job (I am single so I do not have the stress of a family but it still takes a good portion of time also).

Personally, I will always try to encourage an individual to be Orthodox but I would also recommend being Catholic, Lutheran (Missouri synod), Methodist (confessing) etc. if the person's situation was best for these & though I am not en ecumenist, from where I am I know a person needs Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your kind words but I don't know if it's a matter of not spending enough time with Orthodox folks and discussing faith. In my college years, I spent most of my free time with Orthodox laity and priests. I was in this sort of warped reality of Orthodoxy vs. the world. I know for the most part what Eastern Orthodoxy teaches and why. I just reached a point in my life where I no longer agreed with about half of it.

 

[Yoder777]

Yoder,

Please forgive me, I can't be bothered to read all 9 pages of this, so I've skimmed and think I have a general idea of your plight.

If you feel the need to leave Orthodoxy, go. If you truly want to, no one will be able to convince you otherwise. You'll go where you feel you fit best, and experience new forms of worship and interpretation of the Christian faith.

Just come home when you're done, okay?

I recently went through a year-long bout of apostasy. I went to the Masjid/Mosque, the Reform Jewish Synagogue, and finally to the Episcopal Church. I had lost my belief in God totally, and went for a few months with no beliefs, until I realized that God is always there and loves me. I had to experience other forms of faith, and they certainly strengthened my own.

In the end, I realized that I'm an Orthodox Christian. The people at Church are my family and I love them. The Orthodox Christian faith is the faith that has stood strong through the centuries. This is the faith that creates and sustains the universe, as well as each and every one of us. Until I realized that, I was utterly unhappy in the Church.

You may need to take time off if you're unsure. When you know what you want, come back and explain. Your priest might not be totally understanding, but he'll be sympathetic (just watch that you DO NOT have a bris, say the shahada, or receive Communion in a non-Orthodox Church )

Good luck on your journey, my friend.

The fact of the matter is that I am not leaving Orthodoxy, I am returning to Orthodoxy after a four year absence, and wondering what place I would have in a church whose doctrines I might be on the fence about.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

The fact of the matter is that I am not leaving Orthodoxy, I am returning to Orthodoxy after a four year absence, and wondering what place I would have in a church whose doctrines I might be on the fence about.

Have you investigated Bradley Nassiff?

 

[Yoder777]

Have you investigated Bradley Nassiff?

No, but I find this author interesting:

Amazon.com: Kyriacos C. Markides: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

Kyriacos C. Markides - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a cradle Orthodox who sort of fell away from the faith, became an academic and intellectual, and returned to the faith out of a desire for authentic mystical experience.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

No, but I find this author interesting:

Amazon.com: Kyriacos C. Markides: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

Kyriacos C. Markides - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a cradle Orthodox who sort of fell away from the faith, became an academic and intellectual, and returned to the faith out of a desire for authentic mystical experience.

He's a very insightful and enjoyable individual.

And if I may suggest, seeing that you referenced him, perhaps you should consider emailing the individual on the scenarios you've placed forth here in this thread - and then get his own thoughts on the matter for how he would handle it based on what he has experienced in his own journey - whether it be lessons from his priest, other members he has learned from and what the Lord has worked with him on.

 

[gracefullamb]

.

 

[Gnarwhal]

No, but I find this author interesting:

Amazon.com: Kyriacos C. Markides: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

Kyriacos C. Markides - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a cradle Orthodox who sort of fell away from the faith, became an academic and intellectual, and returned to the faith out of a desire for authentic mystical experience.

I'm a few chapters in to Mountain of Silence right now, granted the last time I picked it up was a few months ago. Several people here in TAW have highly recommended it, it's an interesting read.

Do you find yourself on a similar path as his?

 

[Yoder777]

I'm a few chapters in to Mountain of Silence right now, granted the last time I picked it up was a few months ago. Several people here in TAW have highly recommended it, it's an interesting read.

Do you find yourself on a similar path as his?

Yes, but with the added difficulty of being married to a Protestant.

 

[Gnarwhal]

Yes, but with the added difficulty of being married to a Protestant.

I'm married to one as well, it's difficult because she has zero interest in Orthodoxy and laments that my search is driving a wedge between us.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

That's gotta be a killer! Thanks be to God, Kate and I have always been on the same sheet of music....I truly feel for ya, bro...that's just tough

I'm married to one as well, it's difficult because she has zero interest in Orthodoxy and laments that my search is driving a wedge between us.

 

[Yoder777]

I'm married to one as well, it's difficult because she has zero interest in Orthodoxy and laments that my search is driving a wedge between us.

I can sympathize.

 

[Yoder777]

I've been discussing whether it's better for me to be Catholic or Orthodox with my wife, with my parents, and with a priest. I think that, ultimately, if I decide to stay in the Orthodox faith, it will be because of the liturgical and mystical tradition which I am so fond of, not any claims of being the exclusively true faith.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

I've been discussing whether it's better for me to be Catholic or Orthodox with my wife, with my parents, and with a priest. I think that, ultimately, if I decide to stay in the Orthodox faith, it will be because of the liturgical and mystical tradition which I am so fond of, not any claims of being the exclusively true faith.

Eastern Catholic was something that came to mind as something to consider whenever you and your wife discuss the issue - and there've been many discussions on the issue elsewhere if interested (as seen here, here and here).

 

[Sethenew]

In your post you claim that Orthodoxy is not the True faith.
I beg to differ, ( I am Orthodox ) in Orthodoxy you have exactly what the Apostles gave us in our faith. As you probably know and stated that it is a Spiritual and Mystical faith. This is in direct accordance to our Apostolic faith.
Tradition of worship , Liturgy and Evangelizing has remained the same. Our fellow Brothers and Sisters in Catholicism unfortunately have Changed their ways. If they had not, the Protestant Revolution would have not taken place.
Please understand that I did not post to criticize , I would never disrespect a Brother or Sister in Christ. If I am being too conceded in my faith it is because of my Love for Prayer and OUR Lord and Savior ...
God Bless all, and Pray for a United Christian Faith Under the Bishop of all Bishops, King of all Kings, Jesus Christ.