Question for Catholics from an ex-Protestant in search of a denomination

Jared H said:

Now I just have to figure whether I should be Catholic or Eastern Orthodox.

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Dude, may the Lord bless you on your journey. I'm most likely leaving the Southern Baptist Church for something more traditional myself. Although I'm probably staying Protestant. Also something probably more progressive in theology.

Jared H said:

I was raised Nazarene but I think I'm completely convinced at this point that I can't be Protestant. Now I just have to figure whether I should be Catholic or Eastern Orthodox. I really struggle, as many do, with the current corruption of the Church & the Papacy. I understand that it was the result of an agenda of infiltration & subversion, but I'm struggling to understand the doctrine of the infallibility of the Church and how it could have even been corrupted in the first place if it truly possessed the singular legitimacy in the way (I think) they claim it does. I can easily get around the fact that humans & our institutions are inherently flawed, but the way Catholics argue for the singular legitimacy of their Church seems to imply that such corruption shouldn't have been possible if they were correct.

I'm also still confused about the way they treat Mary, but that's much less serious a hangup than the aforementioned.

Any input is appreciated. I want to get cleared up on this before proceeding to examine the doctrinal differences between Catholicism & Orthodoxy.
Thank you.

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Here is the Orthodox forum:
The Ancient Way - Eastern Orthodox

Truth doesn't care about ethnicities.

And here is the Catholic forum:
One Bread, One Body - Catholic

Welcome Jared, please look around and ask questions if you would like.

I have nothing to say about the videos posted by Sola, except that they are rooted in one person's opinionated misunderstanding of the universality of the Orthodox Church. I encourage you (and Sola) to visit The Ancient Way - Eastern Orthodox to hear the Orthodox perspective on Christianity from the people who live it and practice it every day. You should also visit One Bread, One Body - Catholic for the Catholic perspective.

It is man and not God that puts us in boxes and labels us. God gave us the Kingdom free of such human restrictions where we are free to do His will without also having to bow to man's governance, be it secular or religious.

As others have suggested please visit the Catholic and Orthodox forums on this site.

Just out of curiosity, what has completely convinced you that Protestantism isn't a good choice and the others are? Is there a specific doctrine at the heart of it?

Jared H said:

I was raised Nazarene but I think I'm completely convinced at this point that I can't be Protestant. Now I just have to figure whether I should be Catholic or Eastern Orthodox. I really struggle, as many do, with the current corruption of the Church & the Papacy. I understand that it was the result of an agenda of infiltration & subversion, but I'm struggling to understand the doctrine of the infallibility of the Church and how it could have even been corrupted in the first place if it truly possessed the singular legitimacy in the way (I think) they claim it does. I can easily get around the fact that humans & our institutions are inherently flawed, but the way Catholics argue for the singular legitimacy of their Church seems to imply that such corruption shouldn't have been possible if they were correct.

I'm also still confused about the way they treat Mary, but that's much less serious a hangup than the aforementioned.

Any input is appreciated. I want to get cleared up on this before proceeding to examine the doctrinal differences between Catholicism & Orthodoxy.
Thank you.

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There have been times in the history of the faith where it looked like the roof had caved in. The Arian heresy all but overwhelming the Church was one of those times. The Reformation another. And it seems to me like we are in another now. Maybe what's going on now is just a flash in the pan, but to me it has the look and feel of something huge.

I have had to re-tool my understanding of infallibility. It was easier to be a believer in infallibility with great and good popes. But with the help of many careful and faithful Catholics I have seen that infallibility is a very limited thing. And pope Francis hasn't yet even gone there. Sure, he changed the thing in the Catechism on the death penalty. And he published an ambiguous Amoris Latitia. But for the most part he hasn't actually changed anything in the teaching of the faith. We are a bit more resilient than that. We survived some very very bad popes already, somehow. Personally bad, sexually corrupt, financially corrupt, rotten fellows. And the papacy cleaned up and had real saints again. It's happened before. It can happen again.

Corruption happens. We are, on our own, corrupters of all we touch. The Catholic Church should have collapsed many times. But God has managed to pull us out of our own arsonist flames so far every time. Someone recently said to me that such troubled times as we have right now are the times that bring great saints.

If you do become Catholic you can help mine some of the treasures from John Paul II and Benedict not yet fully appreciated by the world or even by Catholics. Though neither were perfect, both were profound witnesses to Jesus our Lord.

Jared H said:

I was raised Nazarene but I think I'm completely convinced at this point that I can't be Protestant.

Click to expand...

I always encourage people leaving Protestantism to do so without bitterness, appreciating what they learned as Protestants. I hope you have some good you can point to from your past.

Jared H said:

I was raised Nazarene but I think I'm completely convinced at this point that I can't be Protestant. Now I just have to figure whether I should be Catholic or Eastern Orthodox. I really struggle, as many do, with the current corruption of the Church & the Papacy. I understand that it was the result of an agenda of infiltration & subversion, but I'm struggling to understand the doctrine of the infallibility of the Church and how it could have even been corrupted in the first place if it truly possessed the singular legitimacy in the way (I think) they claim it does. I can easily get around the fact that humans & our institutions are inherently flawed, but the way Catholics argue for the singular legitimacy of their Church seems to imply that such corruption shouldn't have been possible if they were correct.

I'm also still confused about the way they treat Mary, but that's much less serious a hangup than the aforementioned.

Any input is appreciated. I want to get cleared up on this before proceeding to examine the doctrinal differences between Catholicism & Orthodoxy.
Thank you.

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Hello and welcome to CF.

I'm glad others have given you links to OBOB and TAW. You are right to ask those of a particular group to explain their answer to your question as others will usually get things wrong to some degree (at best) ... no point going into worst case scenario. For that reason, I won't attempt to answer your question. You can repost in OBOB if you like.

Hope to see you around TAW. God be with you!

Jared H said:

I'll be sure to visit the links you provided. I've been very interested in Orthodoxy ever since becoming aquainted with the monks from St Herman of Alaska Monastery and being given one of Seraphim Rose's books. I still have an open invitation to go up there in fact.

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I hear that the monastery is a very beautiful and prayerful place. I would love to take a pilgrimage out to California one of these days, there are a few sites of interest to me out that way.

I am a former Catholic, first Roman and then Eastern, and while I have a great love for the people of that church I found my home in Orthodoxy two years ago and have not looked back since. There are some good videos on youtube that go into the theology and practice of Orthodoxy, and quite a few books as well. My favorite are the videos of Fr. Lazarus (who is actually Oriental Orthodox), they really helped orient my own faith journey.


Feel free to post any questions in the Orthodox and Catholic forums.

Cheers,

GB

Jared H said:

I was raised Nazarene but I think I'm completely convinced at this point that I can't be Protestant.

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Welcome to CF!

Can you put into words why you can no longer be Protestant? Are you looking for a church with apostolic succession, or liturgical worship, or infallibility, or rootedness in ancient church history, or something else? That would help me to know what to suggest for you.

God be with you, Jared. Please free free to check out the Catholic and Orthodox subforums on here. There are many awesome Christians in both Churches. Again, bless you.

There is another choice other than Protestant/Catholic/Orthodox. George Fox and the early Quakers, though nothing like what passes today as Quakerism, were against Protestantism, and sola scripture, and strongly against Catholicism with its hierachy. They believed that scripture is secondary to the revelation from the Holy Spirit, of course always confirmed by scripture but in that order.

I recommend you read Fox's Journal as he wandered the land looking for answers to similar questions to the ones you have, and what was revealed to him about organised religion and 'steeple houses'. The drawback is finding anything likewise in the flesh.

There is a link with the Nazarene church over the doctrine of entire sanctification which they used to espouse which like most other truth has gone down the pan.

Just a note - you do not have to be "anything", just be a real Christian who lives for God and believes in Jesus. You can then take what is useful from various branches or denominations.

You can keep your freedom of conscience, you do not need to accept "just one" flavor. You do not have to take sides.