Conversions to Orthodoxy

[Epiphanius]

Ok, well I just found this thread so I guess I'll post my story here.

I was raised in a protestant family but it never really "stuck". I did all the protestant things, went to all the protestant events, knew all of the protestant words and as far as everybody was concerned, I was an awesome protestant Christian. My problem was that I have always been an academically minded person and none of the people I knew could offer me the answers I needed. Nobody could give me a firm definition of what was true or who was right. Nobody could ever account for multiplicity of doctrine within the protestant community, I never got a straight answer on why everybody had to be so divided theologically.

I have never embraced or even respected post-modernism, I've always thought it was complete BS and yet that was all the answer could be offered. I came up with the perfect solution. Since I was an academically minded person, and needed answers to questions that people surrounding me could barely even understand, I decided to go to a protestant academic institution to find my answers. My thought was that surely these protestant academics could give me the answers I needed, could justify the problems I saw, surely I was missing something that they had and could communicate to me. Enter, Philadelphia Biblical University.

I started attending PBU fall 2004. There, I learned that the protestant Church was even more divided than I had previously thought. Indeed divided on almost every single issue with the exception of the belief that Jesus is God, and worse, pretty much everybody there thought this was fine. It was my worst nightmare and in my second semester freshman year I became a deist (because at the time I was sure protestantism wasn't right, it came out of a corrupt Catholic Church so they were pretty suspect and the Orthodox were just Catholics without the Pope and thats all I thought I knew about them). I stopped going to Church because it infuriated me and I took as few Bible classes as possible (with the exception of Doctrine classes and Church History classes because they were easy).

At this point I started looking into other religions. This is actually one of the best things that ever happened to me because I was so dissatisfied with western religion that I decided to check out eastern religion and philosophy. I picked up a copy of the I Ching and Lao Tzu's Tao teh Ching, almost at random, I decided I wanted something ancient because modern sucked. This persisted for almost 1&1/2 years until I met my (now) Godfather. We were both gamers and both bitter and angry with the protestant Church so when we met, we hit it off. He had recently converted to Orthodoxy (I did not know this at the time) and he was exactly the person I needed in my life because he joined in on my rants and listened to me and agreed with me, but didn't start trying to push Orthodoxy on my right away.

I also had another friend I had met about six months before my Godfather who (unbeknownst to me again) had been Orthodox in his early life until his mother became Baptist. He was also frustrated bitter and angry towards the protestant church. The pieces were in place and the Holy Spirit already working subtly in the background. My Godfather and I also both enjoy arguing, a lot. We started getting into it all the time about Orthodoxy. The way I test for truth is to argue against something while at the same time, trying to keep an open mind. Time and time again I reflected on our discussions and arguments and realized that I was losing every single one of them, and he was winning; Orthodoxy was winning.

As time wore on I began to be dissatisfied with agnosticism, Lao Tsu's writings contained enough truth to whet my appetite and I began seeing how many of his writings and Jesus' teachings went hand in hand and complimented each other. I began to talk about this with my future Godfather and he deftly suggested that I read some of the early Church Fathers. This appealed to me intellectually and (being a Christian school) PBU had a massive collection of their writings. I started reading.

As I started reading I became more and more interested in their brand of Christianity and as that happened, my Godfather started talking to me about how Orthodoxy adhered to their teachings, I was interested. He gave me "Becoming Orthodox" by Fr. Gillquist and I immediately identified with the short autobiographical section of the book. By the end, I was able to intellectually accept all of Orthodoxy's major teachings covered in the book, something that had never happened to me before. By this time my other friend had started going to Church with my Godfather, and told me he was thinking about returning to the Church. I started going to Church with them around this time, I decided to convert two months later. A year and a half later I was Chrismated, that was this past Lazarous Saturday. It's been around six months since my conversion was finalized and I've never looked back.

By the say, one other of our friends at that school has converted and another is a catechuman. And this was longer than I intended it to be, but if you've persevered through the whole thing, thanks. Glory be to God, He certainly does work in mysterious ways.

 

[Josiah14]

"The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
-John 3:8 (EOB), Jesus's dialogue with Nicodemus-

That pretty much sums up my conversion experience. I don't know, really, what happened. I just saw Orthodoxy through new eyes and I knew it is the Truth.

 

[Lukaris]

Thought I had posted here when I joined CF in Aug '07 but do not see anything. Well here goes, turned back to Christ in summer 2003 & actually attended a fundmentalist Baptist church for several months but balked at being baptised there. Went to the Methodist/Presbyterian church of youth for a couple of weeks & left like 25 years previous. In 2004, proceeded to a 4 square Pentecostal church for a few months & at the last minute balked at the offer of baptism there in August 2004. On the very Sunday I was to be baptised, I balked & went to the Orthodox church of my late Syrian grandparents (grandfather left, grandmother returned, did not know her, but she had my older sister baptised there which neither of us knew till recently). Having never attended the Divine Liturgy, I realized how the Lord is to be worshipped "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24) which resembled what I had read in the Didache (which is an invaluable encapsulation of the Gospel) and then heard the father mention these very matters in his sermon (including the Didache). Within several weeks, I declared intention for chrismation, had several months of catechesis, and was chrismated & baptised (baptised at last) on Holy Saturday in 2005.

 

[seashale76]

I don't think I've ever posted this here either, though I've posted this on other boards here.

I was raised Pentecostal. I wanted to believe that the holy scriptures were what they claimed to be, but I had some difficulties, I must admit. It does boil down to the ultimate question of whether God exists or not, and how does one know?

I don't consider what I went through to be a true deconversion. I had been a hard core believer for most of my life and never thought I'd change either. However, when it happened, it was enough for me to post a deconversion testimony on a website for former Christians.

It was heartbreaking for me and I really had a difficult time. I did go through my own dark night of the soul. At the same time, I was also overjoyed with not having to go to church anymore, as I truly lost all sense of church services etc. even being remotely useful or relevant to my life. It all seemed so pointless. I saw this huge disconnect between the Church that the New Testament spoke about and what I was seeing in the Pentecostal, Baptist, and independent Christian churches I had gone to every Sunday and Wednesday of my life.

I didn't consider going to those churches that were considered more 'liberal' because while social justice issues are important, I didn't see the point in calling themselves Christian if they were rejecting the fundamentals of the faith anyway. I figured I could be involved in helping others, be more honest with myself in the process, and sleep in on Sundays. Everything I had ever encountered in Christianity seemed to be well intentioned, but wrong somehow.

I began calling myself a Deist, but I wasn't satisfied with that and started researching other religions and philosophies. I liked Taoism, but I honestly didn't see anything else that I considered worth my time to believe in. I couldn't call myself an atheist because I had a few experiences in my life that made me aware of a spiritual world out there. However, knowing this didn't make finding the truth an easy process, and skeptics had a lot of good questions that I began to examine as my own.

Long story short, I was a jaded and bitter individual. I felt I had good reason to be as I had a lot of negative religious/spiritual experiences. I understand where people are coming from who are angry, because I can relate to an extent. However, my bitterness began to turn into hatred of all things Christian, to the point where I started to see that I was becoming the sort of person I didn't want to be. I didn't like myself at all.

I didn't give up my search though. I read a lot. I sent desperate, pleading prayers out for God (if He even existed) to lead me to the truth. It was coming across Orthodox Christianity on the net that piqued my interest. I thought I knew everything about Christianity- enough to know that all the groups I was familiar with weren't going to cut it for me. I found the only Orthodox book at my local Barnes and Noble and bought the beat up and bent copy of it. I read it, I was cautious about it, I tried to dismiss it (but it kept coming to mind), and I eventually decided that I wanted to go visit an Orthodox church. (This wasn't my first time in an Orthodox Church, and in fact, I decided to visit the same church I had once visited when I was seventeen-roughly twelve years before- for a comparative religions class in college. It had fascinated me to the point it was all I could talk about for at least a week, but I had no desire in those days before the internet was more than a university thing, to look into the faith seriously at that time.)

If I recall correctly, I think it was the Orthodox teaching on hell that really swayed me. It’s not the same. I could never buy into the whole Jonathan Edwards’ Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God thing where God hates everyone and just specifically creates people to torment for eternity. It never rang true. However, reading about what the Orthodox Church believes regarding heaven and hell, it did ring true to me.

I was very reluctant to go back to any sort of church again. The first Sunday my husband (who was agnostic at the time) and I even turned around in the church parking lot and went out for coffee instead. However, we eventually made our way in for Divine Liturgy.

How does one explain to someone else about experiencing the presence of God? All I knew was that it wasn't simply my own emotions wreaking havoc with me- some things come from outside of ourselves- and people who know themselves well can discern this difference. (I was raised Pentecostal and I am rather immune to situations designed to manipulate emotions.) It was like being confronted with all of the answers to my questions after my long search. I knew I had to convert. God was there. Christ is in the Eucharist- which is something I had difficulty accepting as I was raised to accept a very different thing as being the truth- but have certainly experienced beyond a doubt since my Chrismation. Can I prove this to you? No. Were our personal experiences enough to prove it to me and my husband? Yes.

I essentially discovered a Christianity that is an entirely different religion from what I knew before. I had to start over again completely. I couldn't go back to what I thought I knew and believed. I just couldn't. There was something missing there, or I wouldn't have been unhappy enough to leave in the first place. We have the same holy scriptures and belief in the trinity, but everything else is radically different. I somehow knew it was my only chance when I discovered the Orthodox Church.

Except, I personally need the Church. I can't go it alone. I need the liturgy, I need the Eucharist, I need the prayers of the Church, and I especially need all of the sacraments of Christ's Holy Church . I need to go the hospital for what ails me; the ark of our salvation. I need the medicine of immortality.

 

[Breaking Babylon]

On my own accord as a little boy I used to walk about a mile to the Baptist church that some of my extended family was a part of. My aunt taught Sunday school there. These were during the good days when a little kid could walk to church on Sundays in a good little southern country town where nothing ever went wrong. Oddly enough, every Sunday, I'd walk past a church with a big golden dome on it, but I didn't know anyone there and I was too intimidated to walk in. It was called St. Mary's.

All throughout my early youth I continued on with the Baptists, doing the little Christmas plays and learning about the usual Sunday school material.

Eventually we moved from that town and I started going to church with a different side of the family at a local Pentecostal assembly, still just up the street from where I live now. It wasn't really a church thing for me at that time, even as a little boy, even though I loved the activities and things with my family and friends then, I knew something was missing and frankly... shallow. I was done coloring pictures of Jonah and the whale and leaving the room when it was time for the grown people to hear their message... I never understood why the children were encouraged(sometimes forced) to leave the main area of the church when the real preaching was getting started. That's what I wanted to hear. I was thirsting for something substantial that I could never find, and it wasn't being filled by the redundant praise music and childish activities we were being spoon-fed.

So I fell away from church altogether not too long after all that, for a good four or five years I'd say. I started getting into evil music and dark lifestyles, my mouth became filthy, my habits became filthy, my friends and associations were filthy... I was in rebellion, there was no way I was going to be a part of this modern church, where the altar was a stage and homilies were self-help seminars from overpaid 'pastors', self-appointed Apostles spewing garbage about how soon Jesus is coming to take us away from our problems, preaching endlessly about how unless we drive a Bentley, live in a big house and have no health problems we are not favored by God and we are missing out on His blessings.

I dabbled in demonology, paganism, buddhism, zazen meditation sessions, drugs, and music to touch the spiritual world. And I did indeed touch the spiritual world. And it left me a very dark, bitter, depressed, and angry young man... a slave to the passions, to myself, and to the demons. I thought of myself as 'more aware than the rest', my eyes were open, I was out of tune to the 'lies of man-made religion.'

A few years passed this way. Nearing the end of this dark journey I was using the ouija, invoking the goddesses, studying the demons, and more things that don't need mentioning. I was, at this point, completely lost... and I knew I was... but I was too numb to despair. I became a shell, hollow inside.

The only thing that changed me was Providence. God, in His infinite mercy, did not desire the damnation I was steadily bringing upon myself.

One night, I was laying on a friends bed, extremely drunk and high to the point of being sick. I was tossing and turning, the room was spinning, I was burning up, and all of my friends at the time were passed out around me. The thought hit me, then, feeling this way, and seeing them all passed out from intoxication... I'm not truly living. I am not alive. My lifestyle is living me. I've sold myself out.

I recall thinking of that little boy who I used to be, oh, if he could only see me right now... he would surely walk up to me and spit directly in my face and curse everything that I let him become. He was such a good kid... without a care or worry in the world. And now here is the result, sick yet again from indulgence, surrounded by a bunch of fools who don't know whether they're living or dead.

What was different, then... what has changed...

God had abandoned me...

No...

... I had abandoned God.

I decided that, for better or worse, the next time the doors are open, I will go to the place where I left off. And so I did. I walked into that church, the only thing I really knew about Christianity, where I really got my first start. The pastor was preaching words that I can hardly recall... but Providence had in store that this was the day I was supposed to be in that place, at that time. What was spoken there seemed as though it was spoken directly through my bone and marrow, piercing down into my very soul... come to the altar and come back to God, it was said, come and be saved from what you have become...

I seemingly floated towards that altar, tears rolling down my face, heart pounding, not sure of what to do, say, or think. All I knew was, without the shadow of a single doubt, God truly existed, God truly was there, God is truly near the broken and contrite heart and was waiting exactly where I left Him behind. Some may call the experience I had there which truly cannot be justified in words nor explained to do it justice 'being saved', I call it step one of a long journey back home... one that I am still on. The prodigal had returned home, the sinner had repented, and the angels of heaven rejoiced.

I no longer had the desire for drugs or alcohol, there were no withdrawal symptoms. Any sort of item attributed to darkness or the occult was disposed of, and I dove into my Bible daily. I would pray to God, Lord, show me the way, guide me and I will follow, show me the ancient paths I'm reading of, where I may find true rest for my soul...

I knew without a doubt that God existed, from that glorious moment where I truly had experienced Him, felt Him, heard Him... but I knew that this couldn't be it. Where is the Church?

I found a church not far away, 'established in 33 A.D Jerusalem, the Church of Christ' of the acapella variety which some of you are aware of... I was nearly convinced. Nearly. They talked a really good game, to put it lightly, and they could quote book chapter and verse, but something was still missing. I started studying Catholicism, thinking it was the oldest Christian expression of belief... and in a nutshell, I was pointed towards Orthodoxy.

There was a poster during my inquiry phase on The Ancient Way known as 'eoe', who sent me a PM with my current Priests phone number, the church number, the address, the jurisdiction, and everything... he implored me to go, quickly, not to wait, and when I got there to just observe and not try to follow along in some service book. And so I did... October the 1st, 2 years ago, the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God.

St Mary's Orthodox Church. It had relocated over the years.

I was stunned. I felt just as much wonder as I did as a little boy, walking past that church with the huge golden dome standing sentinel against the horizon. Only now I was going inside.

I entered...

and before a word was spoken, before hardly a thought could pass, I knew it. This was home.

 

[rdhosken]

Please allow me to tell you how my wife and I came to discover Original Christianity. For about five decades I have been concerned with and involved in the issue of religious freedom and the lack of it in what is now the former Soviet Union and its satellite countries. I am trained as a Russian translator, have a B.A. degree and some graduate work in Russian history and area studies as well as two graduate degrees in theology. I also have a technical college degree in computer programming, so I know over 20 computer languages, and I have studied about 10 human languages. I served as general editor of Agape-Biblia, a revision of the Russian Synodal Translation of the Bible. I've also written two harmonies of the Gospels, in the Russian and Mari languages, I co-authored the first (and only) English-Udmurt / Udmurt-English dictionary and concise grammar, and I've written, translated or edited several other books in many different Central and East European languages.

In the early 1970s my wife Cheryl and I worked with a team that brought millions of Bibles, New Testaments and other Christian literature into these communist countries. Our contacts in these countries included Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox Christians. When we returned to the U.S. in 1973 I founded and for 20 years I led "Christian Action," a non-profit mission organization to support those believers. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, we began visiting Russia in 1991, we moved there in 1993 to work with an Evangelical mission group, and we sadly witnessed how this spirit of cooperation was being poisoned by a flood of unprepared, self-styled "missionaries" who were trying to "win all those communists for Christ," totally unaware of the fact that Russia has been a Christian country for over 1,000 years. By the late 1990s the spirit of cooperation and toleration went out the window.

You may wonder, "Why doesn't everybody just get along with each other over there in Russia, the Ukraine and those 'stan' countries? We in the West have religious toleration, so why don't they?" The historical roots go much further back than the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Long before 1917 Russia has been characterized by centralized, authoritarian control. And it's not simply that Russia never experienced a Protestant Reformation. In the Eastern Church more attention is paid to two things: unity and doctrinal purity. In Eph. 4:3-6 we read - "being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all."

Many other Bible texts stress the oneness of the Body of Christ. The Eastern Church believes that "one body" means one visible, united Church. In contrast, Paul writes in Gal. 5:20 that "strife... divisions, heresies" are works of the flesh, right along with adultery, murder, drunkenness and gluttony, and he writes, "those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God" (v. 21). So strife and division are just as serious "mortal" sins as is heresy. When Western toleration is taken to the extreme that all viewpoints are equally acceptable and true, we've crossed the line into approving of theological and moral relativism, strife, divisions and heresies.

In the West, if we disagree with others in church, we often will simply start a new church, denomination or an un-denomination. But because strife and divisions are just as serious sins as heresies, the Eastern Church looks upon "sectarians" who split away from the Church as just as sinful, even though they may have fairly orthodox doctrines, as "heretics" whose doctrines may deny the Trinity (Molokans, United Pentecostal Church, Children of God, Witness Lee movement, etc.) or deny the unique God-manhood of Christ (Arianism, Nestorianism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons). And because the tsar or emperor was blessed by the patriarch or pope as the protector of the Church, the clergy could call upon state power to put down both "sectarians" and "heretics." The enforcement of Church teachings with state power gradually diminished in the West after the Protestant Reformation led to Western Europe's population being decimated by decades of religious wars, which finally caused the Austro-Hungarian Emperor to issue an Edict of Toleration. So it may not be such a tragedy that there has never been a Reformation in Russia: it may have been spared decades of religious wars. All of this at least partially explains why there is a lack of western-style religious toleration in the former USSR.

Christians, Jews and Muslims all believe God is one, not many. But which one is the true God? That is our free choice. Religious freedom, however, includes the chance of being wrong. Historically, those who have claimed to know all truth absolutely have tended to force others to accept their beliefs. But ecclesiastical and doctrinal authority should not extend to all of society, only within that religious organization. There should be religious toleration in today's multi-cultural society, because having one state-enforced religious confession brings only superficial unity at the price of insincere belief. True belief can't be forced, or else it leads to unbelief. President Eisenhower, when Americans were deciding to put "under God" in the pledge of allegiance, stated the matter with secular clarity: "Our government makes no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith — and it doesn't matter which one." No, it matters very much which one is true, but it is not within the domain of the state to tell its citizens which faith is the true one.

So religious toleration in society needs to be carefully framed something like this: "The state upholds freedom of religious belief, confession and practice, and cannot enforce only one or a few religious confessions. This does not mean, however, that the state upholds the idea that all beliefs are equally true, that no belief is ultimately true, or that only unbelief is true. Each individual's right to believe does not make wrong beliefs right, rather, the freedom to choose inherently includes the possibility of making wrong choices. But we acknowledge that religion has historically played a leading role in forming society's laws and morals. Laws imply moral standards, so it is impossible to keep religion and morality private, because religious beliefs or the lack of them affect all of human behavior, both public and private. Therefore the state encourages all citizens, including those with religious beliefs, to participate in the formulation of morals and laws."

Have you ever noticed what Phil. 4:4-7 tells us about Enthusiasm, Efficiency and Effectiveness?

Enthusiasm: Phil. 4:4 - "Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, Rejoice!" The word "enthusiasm" comes from Greek "en theos" - "in God." If we try to find happiness in material things or merely human relationships, we will eventually be disappointed. But we can find true happiness, joy, only in God. We need enthusiasm in order to get anything done. Psychologists tell us that without a healthy emotional-volitional condition, people can't make rational decisions: emotionally flat or "labile" people simply flip-flop around: "Should I do this, or maybe that? I don't know, I just can't decide." Only the Lord can give us real joy, "en-theos-iasm," the emotional charge we need to get going in the right direction.

Efficiency: Phil. 4:5 - "Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is at hand." Some modern translations put "gentleness" in place of "moderation" but I firmly believe that "moderation" is the correct translation of the Greek word "epieikes" - simply look at the context, verses 11-13, where Paul writes about living a moderate lifestyle... (continued at Discover Original Christianity )

 

[Mikeb85]

Well, I posted my conversion story in another part of the forum, so I figure I'd copy it here as well (with a few small edits). It's a somewhat short version of my conversion story, but it gets the story across.

I was raised as a Baptist, and very (very) active in the church. Both my parents were Bible-college educated, and I received what could be called a very good education in that faith. However inconsistencies in their doctrine, a lack of 'fruits' in their churches, and no historic continuity of any sort led me to believe they were a false cult, and I rejected the Baptist faith as well as Christianity in general, becoming an athiest. By this time I had also read the entire Bible probably close to a dozen times, which came in handy mostly to argue against missionairies...

Anyhow, I became an athiest when I was 18. Between this time and becoming an Orthodox Christian at 23, I experienced alot. I grew up in a rough neighborhood, with bad friends, and during this time 4 of my friends had died, several had gone to jail (one for murder), I'd experimented with drugs, got involved with gangs, etc... After the dust settled from all this, I started having very strange experiences. Immense feelings of déjâ-vue, strange dreams (including one which came true, which involved me almost getting killed), and other strange, supernatural-type things.

Anyhow, this lead me to a belief in a or several gods, so I started to investigate religions. Like I said before though, my childhood, as well as experiences as a young adult led me to distrust any sort of authority, so I certainly wasn't going to believe anything any religious figure told me. So I did my own research. I studied ancient pagan religions (especially ancient Egyptian and Sumerian/Babylonian cults), Zoroastrianism and Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Taoism and Judaism. I did this for close to a year, reading every day, as much as I possibly could. I also researched all the historic circumstances surrounding the formation of these religions, trying to figure out how each came to their conclusions, why, and how that relates to their 'truthfullness', as well as how it can relate to my own experiences.

In the end, I was most impressed with Taoism - for it's philosophy, understanding of the universe, and practical application (especially health benefits). Of course, it still seemed somewhat 'lacking', however as far as I could tell it was the closest to the truth. Then, just doing some random research on life after death, I stumbled across a writing by an Orthodox Christian theologian. It was probably the single best description of the afterlife I'd ever read, as well as the first believable explanation of salvation that I'd heard.

You see, one common thread of all the pagan religions is that they are resigned to the idea that a bleak existence as a separated 'soul' in a shadowy underworld is the 'best' they can hope for. All the pagan religions show a common 'yearning' for something more. Anyhow, this got me interested in Christianity, but I wasn't ready to trust any single group yet.

So I read as much about 1st century Palestine/Judea as I could, and as much about the early Church as I could. I read many ECFs, trying to figure out what the early Church taught and believed. It really surprised me, as it was so different from what I'd known Christianity to be, and in many ways, had a much more advanced (and mystical) understanding of well, everything. Of course, there were also plenty of politics in the early Church, as well as a few schisms, so there was alot to sort out. So I read as much as I could about the history and spread of early Christianity, the Ecumenical Councils (I've read the texts of all of them), trying to figure out which branch of Christianity is the true one. Eventually, this lead me to the Orthodox Church, sometimes (somewhat mistakingly) known as the 'Eastern Orthodox Church'.

Anyhow, when I finally did step into an Orthodox Church, I was amazed by what I saw. The Liturgy, worship, prayers, hymns, etc..., were so different from what I grew up with. The sense of reverance was immense, the hymns and prayers very comforting, and the people were very nice, even though they ignored me for the most part during the Liturgy (although they invited me for lunch afterwards, and even allowed me to take out their library materials without ever asking for my contact info or anything). But anyhow, the overall 'sense' of the Orthodox faith is one of peace, their 'concept' of God is one of a merciful but just God, and Christ, although becoming incarnate and being approachable, is still recognized as ruler of the Universe and all-powerful (Pantocrator).

The story doesn't end there. As I started coming to the Orthodox Church, a few more interesting phenomena happened to me. For instance, my second time going to this Church, I got into a car accident, making me late. A few weeks later I got a flat tire on my way to Church. Not to mention a few more 'supernatural' experiences which were (as far as I could tell) a bit more blatantly diabolic in origin, but eventually things calmed down.

Anyhow, it took me awhile to adjust to learning to have faith, pray, and live a more Christian life, but slowly I began to feel more peace, and eventually was Baptized into the Orthodox Church. Also, due to my past experiences and somewhat crazy life, I've contemplated becoming a monastic, but for now, I'm content to just try to live my life.

 

[dpcali]

I am taking a closer look at Orthodoxy as documented here at my blog The Journal of a Reforming Protestant. I'd appreciate any insight that you guys might have. thanks!

 

[Lukaris]

I am taking a closer look at Orthodoxy as documented here at my blog The Journal of a Reforming Protestant. I'd appreciate any insight that you guys might have. thanks!

I am not sure how far you have been researching & my time is limited to post. But to investigate the Orthodox Church, I would recommend reading: The Orthodox Church by Kallistis Ware (Timothy Ware prior to him being ordained bishop), Introducing the Orthodox Church by Fr Anthony Coniaris, The Early Church by Eusebius (4th century), check also a book by Henry Chadwick cannot recall title think its History of the Early Church. Also read a collection called Early Christian Writings ed. by Andrwe Louth (Penguin books). if you can also read at least volume 1 of St. Irenaeus Against the Heresies which from the 2nd century shows that the apostlic church has always opposed gnosticism & that it was not arbitrarily & allegedly suppressed by Constantine. .... All I can do, google some of this stuff if it is new info to you. God bless.

 

[Sphinx777]

I am taking a closer look at Orthodoxy as documented here at my blog The Journal of a Reforming Protestant. I'd appreciate any insight that you guys might have. thanks!

Another thread that may interest you...

Eastern Churches -- Catholic and Orthodox...

 

[dpcali]

Thanks guys! Appreciate the recommendations. I read Ware's book and found it interesting to a degree. Found it to be slightly advanced for those who are just looking into the faith, but good nonetheless. Currently, reading some other books on Orthodoxy regarding the mysteries/sacraments. Thanks again!

 

[MariaRegina]

I am taking a closer look at Orthodoxy as documented here at my blog The Journal of a Reforming Protestant. I'd appreciate any insight that you guys might have. thanks!

Please feel free to start a thread in the main forum of TAW to share your journey here.

http://www.christianforums.com/f145/

There you can get even more links.

I am praying for you.

 

[Lukaris]

Thanks guys! Appreciate the recommendations. I read Ware's book and found it interesting to a degree. Found it to be slightly advanced for those who are just looking into the faith, but good nonetheless. Currently, reading some other books on Orthodoxy regarding the mysteries/sacraments. Thanks again!

Check out the book by Fr Anthony Coniaris, his writings are definitely more user friendly and good.

 

[Michael G]

BUMP!

This thread is being bumped for everyone to read.

 

[Lirenel]

Hi guys! I figure I should probably post my conversion story, now that I'm a catechumen. Most of this I actually wrote even before I started attending an Orthodox church, when I was trying to figure out the road I had been on and where it was taking me:


I was raised in a Protestant Christian family. Dad's family was Catholic, but possibly only his youngest brother would still consider himself Catholic, though I think he goes to a Protestant Church now. Another uncle occasionally is Baptist, I think. My dad's twin brother seems to be agnostic more than anything. I don't know my maternal grandparents' denominational history. In the Navy, from what Mom says, basically they were whatever pastor happened to be on base at the moment. Now they attend a Methodist church, which I have never liked for some reason.

As for Mom and Dad, I'm not sure about early on. I think they started out Methodist and we went to a Methodist church when I was younger. That's where I got my first bible, when I took my first communion. I can't really picture it save for maybe a picture of kneeling at the rail and having the little juice cups. One of my greatest memories from that church, though, is from before first communion. Church was after Sunday School, and I often got a piece of candy in Sunday School (for learning Bible verses or something). I remember we usually had our choice in candy, but I almost always picked the tiny roll of sweet tarts and I would save them for Church. Not just any time in church, though. I would always save two, I think blue ones or blue and purple. And I would save them and when the rest of the church took the Body and Blood of Christ, I would take my little sweet tarts along with them. I don't really remember why I did that. I think I knew that somehow the Lord's Supper was important, but I wasn't considered old enough to go through it. And I may have even had an idea that one couldn't be a Christian without taking the Lord's Supper, and I thought I should do something since I considered myself a Christian. I may have even been scared that I wasn't a Christian if I didn't take it.

Anyway, we left the Methodist church when I was ten after the church decided, I think, to pay for new windows instead of a youth program. Since my brother was becoming a teenager, my parents were upset at this and we left. We started going to a local Baptist church. That was a nice church, and I don't remember ever not liking it. Except that everyone seemed to be from a different school district and I didn't know anybody, and some of the girls were kind of stuck up. But the pastor was nice and the services were good. Then my brother got fed up and started going to a different Baptist church with his friends from school. Dad would take him and end up either being late to church or going to the other church (I can't remember which). It was too hard on the family (or at least for Mom and Dad) to be split up like that, so we all started going to the second Baptist church.

I really disliked that church. I liked some parts: having friends in Sunday School and youth, I liked the donuts, but for some reason I never liked the church. I know I disliked the pastor from almost the moment I met him. He had some vibe that made me just want t o shrink back, and he felt slimy to me. I didn't like listening to him speak. We stayed there for a long time, though, and I did enjoy youth group. Then came the revelation that the pastor was having an affair with a member of the church. Sadly, it vindicated my reaction to him. And it split the church, sent my brother spiraling away from the church, and devolved into politics. We were some of the first to leave in the aftermath.

Then came a start-up Baptist church. We started it in a warehouse with plastic chairs, rotating pastors, and a guy who could play the guitar. It grew and a new pastor came on. I liked him, and I liked the church. It grew and I got involved in the youth group and went to church camp and all that. I had a disadvantage, though: I didn't know theology. I mean, I barely knew the basics of theology. I knew "Accept Christ as your savior and you will go to heaven". Oh, I knew the commandments. I knew I should try and emulate Jesus. But I never got any depth or history. And, as a history nerd, I knew I was missing things. I also grew anxious, because there was such an emphasis in the church for evangelism...and when they say evangelism, they mean knocking on people's doors and asking them if they know Christ as their Lord and Savior. I barely knew what it meant to have Jesus as my Lord and Savior, how was I supposed to convince others? And if I didn't, they were all going to hell. I got so confused that at one week at camp I even signed a card saying I was interested in being a missionary, possibly to Africa because it seemed like the last thing I would want to do and therefore the thing I should do, apparently, according to the speaker that week. Thankfully, nothing ever came of that card.

Sometime in high school I started doubting Christianity in general. It was through reading things like Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith that I was able to solidify my belief in Christ as God and the truth of Christianity. I dabbled with young earth creationism, but only as a fad. Reading The Silver Chair and more of C.S. Lewis caused me to grow in 'mere Christianity'. But mere Christianity wasn't a church.

I started hating the church we went to. The sermons were so empty, and the music so awful, and I couldn't see what anything had to do with anything. Thankfully I went to college. I figured I could find a more traditional Baptist church, with traditional hymns and actual theology, and I'd be set. I tried a few near campus, but nothing ever clicked. Then my RA invited me to a Presbyterian church (PCA). I was wary, but then I learned that it was the church that my aunt and her family went to when in town (I went to college in a tourist town). So I checked it out and absolutely loved it. I started going to Reformed University Fellowship on campus, and the leader was so welcoming and kind, as were the people in it. Then the RUF leader became pastor at the church I went to and that was even better! I went to Reformation Day parties and got an adopted church family, and the new RUF minister was just as good as the first.

I loved that church. I actively started looking more into theology. Granted, some of that might have been because one of the nice RUF boys was very into theology and would sit and talk with me about it or go on walks or something (and he was cute). But honestly, Reformed theology, though it made logical sense, seemed so...harsh. Very strict lines as to who is saved and who isn't - only God knows and he chooses who he wants to save and if he chooses you, you have no choice but to accept. It made sense in terms of God's omnipotence. It didn't make sense in terms of God's love.

In college I also went with my roommate to a few Catholic Masses and enjoyed them (we still joke about the BYOB days at that church - bring your own Baptist). They were awkward at first, because I wasn't used to them. But I think I could have gotten used to them if I had gone more. But with Catholicism, I still had problems with the almost undue importance placed on Mary, and the supremacy of the Pope. Almost more the latter than the former.

The hardest semester, and I think the semester I really started getting dissatisfied with Protestantism, was autumn of my Junior year. It surprised me, since I loved that church so much and felt that I could accept Reformed theology, even with its problems. But Presbyterianism wasn't really doing it for me. There was theology, probably the first real theology I had learned, but there was something missing. I looked up Catholicism mostly, since I was most knowledgeable about that. I read the arguements, how Catholicism is rooted in the early church. I read some of the church fathers, particularly in my classics classes, and realized the importance placed on the Eucharist in the early church. And I realized that church wasn't about sermons, but worship. I even went to a meeting with an Orthodox priest, but the only Orthodox church was far away and I'm lazy...it's as simple as that.

It was hard. I talked with the RUF leader about it, and he tried, but I don't think he really understood where I was coming from. I didn't know where I was coming from, I was just so confused. He did encourage me to get a Greek New Testament, which I got for Christmas and that was wonderful. I don't know enough Greek to truly understand it (even after three years of classes), but enough to be able to look up verses and see what it really says. Then I was off to a semester studying abroad in England.

England was emotionally refreshing. I was away from the problems I had that autumn. I met some nice Christian friends, but we never really talked about our faith, outside of considering going to churches. I went once with one friend to a local church, but made my excuses not to go back...it was too contemporary, with the wishy-washy theology I found at the Baptist church back home. I visited a Polish Catholic Mass with another friend, which was interesting. And I went to a matins service at the Anglican Cathedral, where the pastor talked about C.S. Lewis which was interesting but honestly I didn't understand what he was teaching exactly. Easter service was at the Cathedral as well, with my family. But, honestly, I didn't go to church that semester. And I'm ashamed to say I edged around the lie to my family about it. I think I needed that distance, though.

I came back and senior year I was back to the PCA church which I still loved. I got a little more in depth Bible knowledge from the sermons. But I still felt I was missing something. It was a struggle to go to church, though I was usually glad I did. I was tired, and the long sermons didn't help. I liked the more traditional music, though it still got too contemporary at times.

I was lost and stuck in a rut - I was comfortable and scared to change. When I started at graduate school, I was able to live with my grandparents. For a few weeks I went to their Methodist church and hated it. During breaks I would go with my parents to the new Presbyterian church they were trying, which was better but still...lacking. Finally, in October of my first semester, my grandparents went on vacation for a weekend and I slunk to a local Orthodox church.

It was a mission church in the Antiochian diocese, and I had emailed the priest before I went. For the previous three years or so, and particularly the previous year, I had been reading everything I could on Catholicism and Orthodoxy, every moment being more and more drawn to Orthodoxy - the history, the theology, the focus on healing, the presence of a goal for your life. I have to say, when I realized that *this was it* I cried - not from happiness, but from fear. It was just so different. If I took this step, it would be the biggest step away from the faith I grew up in that I had ever taken. I didn't know if my parents would understand, and what if I couldn't do the fasting and the confessing and the standing for the entire liturgy?

I knew I couldn't be Protestant anymore. Sola scriptura was out the window as far as I was concerned, and since everything else seemed hinged on that dogma I couldn't stay in Protestantism. I needed Apostolic tradition. I was rather desperately hoping I could become Catholic, since my paternal grandmother was such a faithful Catholic and it would be an OK step with my family, but I couldn't get past papal supremacy and a myriad of other dogmas, not to mention it was pretty obvious studying history that Catholicism left Orthodoxy, not the other way around. And I was already falling in love with Orthodoxy - I just needed to take the advice everyone seemed to be giving me and go and see it in action.

I was so nervous that first day at a Divine Liturgy. I was shaking as I approached the rented building. But the very first person I met, right outside in the parking lot, bundled me under her convert wing and gave me that final push in the door.

It's been a year and four days since that day and I haven't left (figuratively, not literally). After all, why leave your true home once you've found it? I promised my family I would wait a year before becoming a catechumen, and so I did. About two weeks before I did so, I was visiting home and went to my parents' church again. It confirmed my determination to become Orthodox. It wasn't bad, but it was empty of everything I've found in Orthodoxy. I can't go back to Protestantism. I can only go forward into the Truth I've found.

 

[GlobalNomad1960]

I am currently an enquirer to the Orthodox Church. It has been six, or so, years in [FONT=verdana,geneva,lucida,'lucida grande',arial,helvetica,sans-serif]coming[/FONT], but, after all, salvation is a journey.

Lord have mercy.

 

[ArmyMatt]

I am currently an enquirer to the Orthodox Church. It has been six, or so, years in [FONT=verdana,geneva,lucida,'lucida grande',arial,helvetica,sans-serif]coming[/font], but, after all, salvation is a journey.

what parish do you attend?

 

[Red A.]

I grew up in the Baptist Church. My father was a deacon. Home life was bad. The family fell away from the church, I tried to stay but fell away as well. As home became worse, I eventually left to join the military. I acquired quite a drinking problem that tried to destroy me.

I wound up a homeless drunk on skid row, as far away from god as I could get. I wound up in AA, began building a life and proceeded to try to re-establish a church life as is suggested in AA.

I went back to the baptist church. It was flat. I was engaged in a spiritual journey that AA had sent me on and the shallow emotionalism and faux piety wore thin. I tried several churches but felt sad for the members there. This went on for several years.

I eventually tried the methodist church, it was a bit better, but I wanted more. I was sure there was more out there.

I was listening to an AA speaker online and he spoke briefly about the Philokalia, the desert fathers and the Jesus prayer. I took note and checked them out briefly. A few weeks later I bought an AA based recovery book called "the spirituality of imperfection" and it referenced the desert fathers many times.

I decided to take a better look at this Philokalia thing and ordered it online.

I was blown away. So much of what I saw when I read the bible was expressed there by these wonderful men. I was stoked.

I was also flummoxed. While I had been wishy washy about church, I had long been serious about biblical study and these guys were never once on my radar before now.

I began googling to try to find someone, anyone out there that had heard of these guys and followed their tradition of teaching. The Roman Catholic church seemed to like them but considered their teachings "over the heads of common folk" as far as I could find, but then I found ancient faith radio and began listening to their talks there.

I was home.

The teachings there spoke to me as never before. My disagreements with original sin, and once saved always saved and the whole legalism I found so disturbing were affirmed end expanded on in a way that I only wish I could have done.

I immediatly got online and found the nearest Orthodox church.

I'm now a catechumen at st.basils Antiochian Church in Kansas City Kansas.

 

[Annoula]

I'm now a catechumen at st.basils Antiochian Church in Kansas City Kansas.

your story really touched me.

i wish you an Orthodox spiritual journey full of blessings.

may our Lord fulfill you with His Grace.

 

[HalupkiMonster]

I was born into a nonreligious, secular Christian family. I was baptized in the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) as an infant because, according to mom, "that's what you do." We really only ever "prayed" before thanksgiving and Christmas meals, and even those were ruined by my little sister and I giggling or rolling our eyes. It was all very pretentious to me, as we weren't religious in the slightest (and almost anti-religious, if I'm honest.)

Starting at around age 5, my very religious Roman Catholic grandmother took my sister and I to Church when we would spend the night at her house. My sister (ever loyal to my mother) hated it. I loved it so much. My grandmother saw that I loved it, and taught me about God, read to me from the Bible, and taught me to pray the rosary (which I still keep in my icon corner as a momento of her.)

I am now age 14. My grandmother has been taking me to mass for a while. There is a regular cycle of me going to mass, getting caught by my mom, my grandmother getting yelled at, repeat. It was so sad. My grandmother was like a martyr in this way. Around this time my mom's mother dies and my grandfather gets sick, so I withdraw from my grandmother a little, and make my father take me to mass every Saturday evening. I decide to confront my mother with the fact that I want to be Catholic. I was 14, and ready to make my life what I wanted it to be.

My parents fought and fought over this and other issues, and decide to get a divorce. Devastated, I decided to stop attending the RC Church. I still feel that my religious exploration is responsible for my parents' divorce. If only my mother was more open minded.

My friend hears that I am "Church shopping," and asks me if I'd like to come to liturgy. I agree. My mom had positive memories of attending liturgy as a little girl with my friend's mother. I have discovered Orthodoxy. Everything changes. I attend for a while, and start going to Church classes. I am very immature at this point. I am not so much convinced of Orthodoxy as infatuated with it. I needed to be a part of this Church.

I am now 15. Orthodoxy is all I can talk about, and my liberal, anti-Catholic, pro-choice mother has had enough. We argue over and over. She hadn't (and still hasn't) any foundations for her beliefs, such as that Jesus was only a man and Holy Communion is merely an empty ritual, and only holds these because "Catholics are bad." My mom discovers that I am growing up and should make my own choices, so I am given permission to be chrismated, and I am. I am given the name "Tikhon," after the Patriarch of Moscow and enlightener of the American people. I love Orthodoxy, but am extremely zealous.

I am 17. The stars are no longer in my eyes. I had struggled with inappropriate contentography forever. Through the habit, I discovered that I'd quite enjoy the company of other men more than women. This strikes me like a ton of bricks. I start to develop anxiety, and see a therapist, who tells me that I must choose between indulging in my sexual orientation and being an Orthodox Christian. I choose my sexual orientation. The next step? I have to leave my Church. It was difficult, but I stayed away. I ignored e-mails and phone calls, quit teaching Sunday School, and asked to be left alone by this community that I thought was shoving their beliefs down my throat when I no longer wanted to associate with them.

I am out of Church. I am young and gay in America. (I am also 6'4" and 310 lbs, so the boys aren't exactly breaking the door down to be with me.) Long story short, things don't go as well as planned. The glamorous gay life the media shows us is a bunch of schmutz. Feeling even more like I didn't fit in and that I would never find love, I reached a point where I did not know if I wanted to continue. I looked at my icon of the Theotokos, and she smiled at me. (I have this thing where when I'm sleepy enough and my glasses are off, it looks like she smiles at me, which I LOVE. ) Something had to change. I had made a huge mistake. I needed Christ, my God. Until this point, I thought I was relatively fortunate in my faith journey. I had never felt like a lost sheep before, but that is exactly what I was. I was lost in the mountains, with snakes and scorpions surrounding me. I needed my shepherd to save me, and He did. I poured my heart out to my priest and godfather in an e-mail. Within a week, I was back in Church and had confession. I had to abstain from Holy Communion. I received again on the Sunday of the Prodigal son, which was extremely interesting planning on Christ's part. My Lord welcomed me home with open arms ad lovingly embraced me, and I tasted His Body and Blood. That was the first and only time I have cried at liturgy.

I have discerned that celibacy is my vocation. I plan to transfer to a university near a monastery to see if there's anything there (and if nothing else, receive guidance from the monks.)

I have been an Orthodox Christian for about five years. The false zeal has worn off. The magic has gone. i am a wretched sinner with a seedy past. I need salvation. I am committed to serving the Lord with fear and trembling. I am an Orthodox Christian.