For those who explored RC and EO....

[tigersgrowl1093]

What ultimately made you choose EO?

 

[MariaRegina]

I left the Roman Catholic Church because I no longer believed in Papal Infallibility and Papal Supremacy. Once the 1870 Vatican I bubble broke, Orthodox Christianity was the only option.

 

[Gnarwhal]

What ultimately made you choose EO?

For what it's worth, I'm still on my quest towards Orthodoxy, overall my journey is still very young but I've been tenacious in my pursuit. My main reasons for considering Orthodoxy over Roman Catholicism is that the historical evidence seems to overwhelming support the Orthodox Church's claim of being the historic Church of Peter and Paul, the very same one that originated in Acts. It was Rome that broke away from the rest of the Church and the Protestants more or less followed in Rome's footsteps 500 years later.

I also can't reconcile a lot of the Roman dogmas surrounding the Pope and their differences from Orthodoxy concerning the Theotokos.

As it is, I haven't considered Catholicism at all just because what I do understand about their ecclesiology and their theology, it's not something I think I could ever agree with. Whereas with Orthodoxy, I realized that over the past few years I had come into alignment with Orthodox theology before I even knew what the Eastern Orthodox Church was, and so it was extremely exciting for me to discover this historic continuity of the Apostolic Church right around me, staying the course as it always has for 2,000 years.

That was unbelievably compelling for me.

 

[InnerPhyre]

Learning Church history was a big part of it. It's pretty obvious when you take a peek that the Papacy's jurisdiction wasn't universal from the start. Also, when I started attending Orthodox churches, I found the faith was preserved there in a much better way than in the modern RCC. When you have one person in power who can dictate doctrine, you tend to get wonky changes that don't add up. That's a very short explanation of a very long journey.

 

[Joseph Hazen]

My reasoning fits InnerPhyre's almost exactly. I was Roman Catholic, but a friend told me to find him Papal Infallability in the early church and I couldn't do it. Without PI the entire Roman church falls apart. Studying history I began to see how the practices of the Early Church lined up with the Orthodox one so neatly, that their interpretation of history doesn't require some of the more convoluted apologetic twists, and ultimately, that they had preserved the faith.

 

[27B6]

...

 

[tigersgrowl1093]

I don't know that it is one thing I can pinpoint precisely.

I struggle with Papal Infallibility as well as RC views on Hell.

I am in RCIA right now, but plan to attend a Russian Orthodox Church tomorrow for Divine Liturgy. I attended a Greek Orthodox Church last year, but didn't like it so much. Hopefully I will like this one, because these are the only two to choose from in my area.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Don't drop out of RCIA just yet. Stay on board, keep listening what the good folks at your Catholic parish have to say, and consider it carefully before bailing and jumping ship to another church. Make sure you tread carefully, prayerfully, and listen to both sides with an open heart, intellect, and be a student of history. Knee jerk is the worst in the world. You don't want buyer's remorse on either side. Hang in there with the CC right now and make sure you don't buy into it before leaping. My two cents.

I don't know that it is one thing I can pinpoint precisely.

I struggle with Papal Infallibility as well as RC views on Hell.

I am in RCIA right now, but plan to attend a Russian Orthodox Church tomorrow for Divine Liturgy. I attended a Greek Orthodox Church last year, but didn't like it so much. Hopefully I will like this one, because these are the only two to choose from in my area.

 

[tigersgrowl1093]

Don't drop out of RCIA just yet. Stay on board, keep listening what the good folks at your Catholic parish have to say, and consider it carefully before bailing and jumping ship to another church. Make sure you tread carefully, prayerfully, and listen to both sides with an open heart, intellect, and be a student of history. Knee jerk is the worst in the world. You don't want buyer's remorse on either side. Hang in there with the CC right now and make sure you don't buy into it before leaping. My two cents.

I definitely plan to finish out the RCIA class. I just saw the EO Church had a DL tomorrow, so decided to go.

 

[Dorothea]

I don't know that it is one thing I can pinpoint precisely.

I struggle with Papal Infallibility as well as RC views on Hell.

I am in RCIA right now, but plan to attend a Russian Orthodox Church tomorrow for Divine Liturgy. I attended a Greek Orthodox Church last year, but didn't like it so much. Hopefully I will like this one, because these are the only two to choose from in my area.

Aww. I'm sorry you didn't have a good experience in the Greek Orthodox Church you visited. I love GOC's.

 

[ArmyMatt]

yeah, as an ex Anglican (close to RC), I can say that Church history really helped me out. when I eventually came to the Great Schism, it became clear who changed.

but I agree with gurney, take this slowly and patiently.

and welcome to TAW! tell us how the service goes!

 

[truefiction1]

A prayer for intercession, a wonder working icon of the Theotokos, and a miracle.

 

[E.C.]

As an ex-RC it was quite a few things.

-Studying Church History.
-could no longer see Papal Supremacy as a practical rule of administration (or something like it) for ANY organization.
-saw Papal Infallibility as pompous and arrogant.
-never liked the idea of a mandated celibate priesthood.
-the consistency of the Liturgy no matter where you go. Whether in Washington state, Miami, Illinois or California it is going to be the same Liturgy. When I left the Roman Church the notion of a "liturgical dance" was starting to gain some ground and, frankly, it seemed out of place. Sure, some Liturgies is some places will be longer than others or even in a different language; but, regardless the essence of the Liturgy and God's presence are still there.
-better music.
-better food.
-nicer women.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

nicer women?

As an ex-RC it was quite a few things.

-Studying Church History.
-could no longer see Papal Supremacy as a practical rule of administration (or something like it) for ANY organization.
-saw Papal Infallibility as pompous and arrogant.
-never liked the idea of a mandated celibate priesthood.
-the consistency of the Liturgy no matter where you go. Whether in Washington state, Miami, Illinois or California it is going to be the same Liturgy. When I left the Roman Church the notion of a "liturgical dance" was starting to gain some ground and, frankly, it seemed out of place. Sure, some Liturgies is some places will be longer than others or even in a different language; but, regardless the essence of the Liturgy and God's presence are still there.
-better music.
-better food.
-nicer women.

 

[MariaRegina]

nicer women?

I think he was referring to the presence of feminists in the Catholic Church, especially in the Action group, which is borderline Catholic. Some of these females can be quite nasty. I've met some. They are too easily offended and rude.

However, women with PMS are found equally in the Catholic and Orthodox Church. One needs to be understanding. With all this GMO food, I wonder if there is a connection. I do not think we had all these problems back in the 1950 and 60s. It just seems like mental illness and medical problems have increased dramatically since the introduction of GMOs and GMO high fructose corn syrup to our diet.

 

[Joseph Hazen]

Hey, all I'm gonna say is six years as a Roman Catholic: three dates and I didn't get married. I was Chrismated in Orthodoxy in May and met my wife-to-be in August. Clearly Orthodox women are far more forgiving of faults!

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Like I said, in my neck of the woods, a "feminist Catholic female" is about non-existent! The majority are "you betcha" Republican Sarah Palin admirers. Not a lot of "I'm woman hear me roar" types in these here parts....

I think you and I are at the point, Maria, where we blame GMO's for the Arab-Israeli conflicts!

I think he was referring to the presence of feminists in the Catholic Church, especially in the Action group, which is borderline Catholic. Some of these females can be quite nasty. I've met some. They are too easily offended and rude.

However, women with PMS are found equally in the Catholic and Orthodox Church. One needs to be understanding. With all this GMO food, I wonder if there is a connection. I do not think we had all these problems back in the 1950 and 60s. It just seems like mental illness and medical problems have increased dramatically since the introduction of GMOs and GMO high fructose corn syrup to our diet.

 

[Touma]

I am not Orthodox (yet), nor Catholic. I was raised in a non-Christian household. I became a believer under a Protestant church. Over time, the love for the Protestant Church has worn off due to many reasons. So I did begin to look at other Churches. I did consider RCC, but there is just so much wrong with it, and I am sure the Protestant bias against Catholicism didn't help any.

The really leaves the Orthodox church for my consideration. It does have the history (though I am trying to see if there is any difference between the current Church and what was taught very early one, like a proto-Orthodox church.), its views aren't AS extreme as RCC on some things (though I do have some uncomfortable feelings with Mariology)

 

[ArmyMatt]

The really leaves the Orthodox church for my consideration. It does have the history (though I am trying to see if there is any difference between the current Church and what was taught very early one, like a proto-Orthodox church.), its views aren't AS extreme as RCC on some things (though I do have some uncomfortable feelings with Mariology)

yeah that was what I was told to do. Christ promised that the gates of hades would not prevail against His Church, so that Body of believers has to be somewhere out there.

 

[MariaRegina]

Like I said, in my neck of the woods, a "feminist Catholic female" is about non-existent! The majority are "you betcha" Republican Sarah Palin admirers. Not a lot of "I'm woman hear me roar" types in these here parts....

I think you and I are at the point, Maria, where we blame GMO's for the Arab-Israeli conflicts!

I wonder when Muslims will start attacking Monsanto-Dole engineers for interfering with their halal chicken by adding those nasty pork genes.

Does anyone have a picture of a chicken wearing levis?