Conversions to Orthodoxy

KATHXOYMENOC said:

You forgot to list DTS in your profile under "Colleges Attended"!

Welcome to TAW!! (Maybe see you Sunday night at the pan-Orthodox service at the Cathedral?)

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Haha..I left DTS unmentioned out of shame. It was never the same after I wrote my paper about the veneration of the Theotokos in my Theology class

Silouan said:

Haha..I left DTS unmentioned out of shame. It was never the same after I wrote my paper about the veneration of the Theotokos in my Theology class

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Maybe this would have helped:



From Publishers Weekly
In this dense, learned study, Perry, a professor of theology at Manitoba's Providence College, attempts to bridge the different accounts of Mary that have long divided Catholics and evangelicals. The book was born of Protestant Perry's nagging sense that his tradition did not give the mother of Jesus her due. He insists, in good Protestant fashion, on grounding his evangelical Mariology in scripture, not in "postbiblical legends." Perry first examines how Mary figures in the New Testament. The major New Testament writers, according to Perry, had wildly different views of Mary, with Luke seeing her as a prophet and Paul viewing her as "no more than an anonymous mother." Perry then turns to the church fathers, arguing that medieval doctrines about Mary were not new inventions, but elaborations and clarifications of doctrines that were articulated in the patristic era. He concludes with a constructive (but too brief) Protestant theology of Mary, including the controversial claim that, in some senses, it is appropriate to consider Mary a "mediator." Thanks to Dan Brown and Elaine Pagels, many readers are interested in the women in Jesus' life. Although this book is too scholarly to attract a large following, Perry makes an important contribution to Catholic-evangelical dialogue. (Nov.)

Gee...I wonder who the "friend" was who persuaded you?

NyssaTheHobbit said:

Gee...I wonder who the "friend" was who persuaded you?

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Well, actually . . . . it was me.

We sing in the choir together at our parish. But he's also met KATH and others on here, too.

SilouanAthonite and I are always talking about TAW around him, so he finally gave in.

Resistance is futile.

Mary

Mary of Bethany said:

Well, actually . . . . it was me.

We sing in the choir together at our parish. But he's also met KATH and others on here, too.

SilouanAthonite and I are always talking about TAW around him, so he finally gave in.

Resistance is futile.

Mary

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Was I predestined for TAW or did I come on my own free will? Just kidding

Welcome Silouan, glad to see you made it.

Silouan said:

Was I predestined for TAW or did I come on my own free will? Just kidding

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Bad Silouan, bad!

Mary

Silouan said:

I have recently joined CF due to the persuasions of a friend, so I thought it meet and right to present my introduction to my fellow Orthodox. Briefly, I am a former Southern Baptist, Charasmatic, Non-Denominational and Emergent Church devotee. It seems that most convert stories are similar, so I wont beat the dead horse. In search for the historic church, I did my research in the fathers and the history of the church and now I am Orthodox and have not looked back. I am open to any questions, comments , BLESSINGS, you may have.

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Your conversion story can only look being apparently simmilar, but it is unique the same as you are unique....

I just got done the long process of going through all 57 pages of posts, and I've felt inspired by all the conversion stories I read. After Holy Week is over, I'm going to properly write out my conversion story (well, I'm a catechumen, so my conversion is not yet complete). It's kind of a convoluted and often-painful journey...

In Christ,
-Thor

I got chrismated Lazarus Saturday and am celebrating my first Holy Week as a Orthodox. Hooray! I could go into details, but I've floated around TAW for a while now, and that was a pretty big part of the process.

I just finished adding extensively to my conversion story: http://webpages.charter.net/nyssacugan/cgn_000046.htm

It goes into far more detail about what was going wrong with the churches we were in, and why we left. I think if I show this to anyone who thinks I'm a church-hopper, they'll change their mind.

Wow!That was a long journey!
I am happy that you are home finally!

Welcome to the Holy Orthodox church Nyssa!

Thanks! I'm exhausted--I don't wanna go anywhere else!

I was brought up Missouri Synod Lutheran and my husband was Roman Catholic. He never liked his faith so we we're occasionally attending the Lutheran church, but we didn't care for it either. We felt our small children needed to go, so we went for them. My husbands best friend married an Orthodox girl and he converted to Orthodoxy. He sent books to my husband to read. He read them and knew he had to go to an Orthodox Liturgy, but I said no because from the way he was describing this faith to me and their traditions, I didn't think this Irish girl would fit in. He was not going to go without his whole family. So about three years went by and I was still dragging him to the Lutheran church. Then my dad became ill with melanoma cancer and died very quickly. When I asked my Lutheran pastor where my dad was, he said, "your father is either sleeping until Christ comes again or since he was a good Christian man he is in heaven". My pastor's answer did not satisfy me. So I asked my husband if I could read one of his Orthodox books. He had me read, Conversations With Protestant Sectarians, by Kallistos Ware. I read this book and I can honestly say I was scared into the faith. That very next Sunday we visited the closest Orthodox church, 45 minutes from our home. We weren't there more than maybe 20 minutes and we both looked at each other and smiled. At that moment we knew we were finally home. We talked to the priest, Fr. David, and we were happy with all of his answers to our questions. We've been going to the same church for 11 years. A lot of driving back and forth, but we don't mind at all. We have never once woken up on a Sunday and not wanted to make that drive. Our children have never told us that they don't want to go to church (unless they are sick). Our son wants to be a priest and our daughter can't wait to meet an Orthodox boy who will sweep her off her feet. God has given us a very blessed life. Sometimes I wonder if I had to lose my dad to open my eyes to Orthodoxy? I believe I did! I miss my dad so much. I feel though if he wouldn't have died, I wouldn't have received the unfulfilled answers from the Lutheran pastor. So, because of that, now we have a chance at salvation. Thanks be to God!

Anatole said:

I was brought up Missouri Synod Lutheran and my husband was Roman Catholic. He never liked his faith so we we're occasionally attending the Lutheran church, but we didn't care for it either. We felt our small children needed to go, so we went for them. My husbands best friend married an Orthodox girl and he converted to Orthodoxy. He sent books to my husband to read. He read them and knew he had to go to an Orthodox Liturgy, but I said no because from the way he was describing this faith to me and their traditions, I didn't think this Irish girl would fit in. He was not going to go without his whole family. So about three years went by and I was still dragging him to the Lutheran church. Then my dad became ill with melanoma cancer and died very quickly. When I asked my Lutheran pastor where my dad was, he said, "your father is either sleeping until Christ comes again or since he was a good Christian man he is in heaven". My pastor's answer did not satisfy me. So I asked my husband if I could read one of his Orthodox books. He had me read, Conversations With Protestant Sectarians, by Kallistos Ware. I read this book and I can honestly say I was scared into the faith. That very next Sunday we visited the closest Orthodox church, 45 minutes from our home. We weren't there more than maybe 20 minutes and we both looked at each other and smiled. At that moment we knew we were finally home. We talked to the priest, Fr. David, and we were happy with all of his answers to our questions. We've been going to the same church for 11 years. A lot of driving back and forth, but we don't mind at all. We have never once woken up on a Sunday and not wanted to make that drive. Our children have never told us that they don't want to go to church (unless they are sick). Our son wants to be a priest and our daughter can't wait to meet an Orthodox boy who will sweep her off her feet. God has given us a very blessed life. Sometimes I wonder if I had to lose my dad to open my eyes to Orthodoxy? I believe I did! I miss my dad so much. I feel though if he wouldn't have died, I wouldn't have received the unfulfilled answers from the Lutheran pastor. So, because of that, now we have a chance at salvation. Thanks be to God!

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Different author, but is this the book/essay you meant:

http://www.trueorthodoxy.org/heretics_protestants_missionary_conversations.shtml

Missionary Conversations with Protestant Sectarians
by Rev. Kyril Zaits
New Sarov Press Edition 1993

Sorry, I don't know where the book is since it's been 11 years. I should have researched that better instead of trusting in my bad memory. You are right, that is the real name of the book and author. Thanks, for correcting me!

Welcome Anatole to TAW . Thanks for the beautiful story you shared with us.
I only have a daughter sorry no boys for your girl... but I am sure she will find some nice Orthodox young man.

God bless,
Philothei

Anatole said:

Sorry, I don't know where the book is since it's been 11 years. I should have researched that better instead of trusting in my bad memory. You are right, that is the real name of the book and author. Thanks, for correcting me!

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Thanks for confirming this. Now we can all read it at the link I found. Glad to have you at TAW!

Jacob4707 said:

Thanks for confirming this. Now we can all read it at the link I found. Glad to have you at TAW!

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I don't know...That website looks like it's run by a VERY traditionalist group which considers the canonical Orthodox groups to be schismatic or heretical.

NyssaTheHobbit said:

I don't know...That website looks like it's run by a VERY traditionalist group which considers the canonical Orthodox groups to be schismatic or heretical.

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You may be right. I didn't read it. The fact that it "scared" her into becoming Orthodox was a bit of a concern to me, too, but I'll read it first.