The black sheep here

[J. Elias]

Good morning, and God bless all!

I am a student of theology and philosophy at Oral Roberts University, born and raised Charismatic non-denominational, and was very surprised to begin losing faith in Protestantism when my studies commenced. Unfortunately, due to the highly Pentecostal-Charismatic culture here, I feel a bit alone in my search for truth rather than relativistic joke theology or subjective self-experience.

I'll be attending an Orthodox service this coming Sunday, most likely, but I wanted to get some feedback from the Orthodox on CF. Why are you Orthodox? Clearly you think Orthodoxy more tenable than Catholicism and Protestantism, but why? And why not Protestantism or Catholicism?

What I'm looking for is an apologetic for Orthodoxy and a polemic for the other two major traditions (if Protestantism could be called a tradition). I'm looking for truth, not some kind of feeling or self-experience; I've had that all my life. Rather, I want to know why I ought to convert to Orthodoxy, and not some form of Catholicism or Reformed Christianity.

Many thanks to all who take the time to answer!
--J Elias

 

[ArmyMatt]

welcome to TAW

the reason I am Orthodox is because, looking at Church history, only the Orthodox have maintained the Faith from Pentecost to today. we are the Church of the upper room.

the reason I am not Roman is because they have added to the Faith (Papal infallibility, indulgences, the filioque, etc), and because the role of the Pope in the early years is not the same as the Pope today.

the reason I am not Protestant is because sola Scriptura does not work in real life, and also is not found in the early centuries. if Protestantism were true, there would be no disagreements on God, salvation, sacraments, etc, and yet they run rampant. heck, Protestants don't even disagree with their own founders, let alone each other. few Lutherans I have met actually fall in line 100% with Luther in terms of dogma.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Hello J. Elias, and welcome to the forum!

I can tell you from what I've heard, that it is not uncommon for those pursuing more advanced religious education to begin to question the faith they had held to that point, and to have their eyes opened to Orthodoxy.

I was raised Baptist, and ironically enough it was probably mostly the effect of reading Catholic and Orthodox mystical writers (and rather foolishly diving in to practicing what I read without any guidance) that caused a bit of widening of my perspective that made staying in the Baptist denomination impossible. At the time, I knew nowhere else to go besides the Pentecostal groups. Eventually, I found too many dead ends and unanswered questions there as well, and became increasingly frustrated with the reliance on emotionalism that I encountered more and more.

I began an in-depth study of various theological points of view, and history, etc. as well as I was able. And I would say much the same as ArmyMatt. I found intriguing strengths and some surprising depth within Catholicism that I never expected, having been taught against Catholicism all my life (often inaccurately). Yet I did find inconsistencies within Catholicism, and things added which I found no basis for, and essentially deeply disagreed on a few fundamental points. I was exploring the more mainline Protestant denominations when I discovered Orthodoxy, and kept seeing answers from Orthodox that fell into place perfectly with Christianity as I was beginning to understand it (though the sacramental nature of Baptism was a hurdle, and I had several others as well - but I found Scripture to directly support regenerative baptism, and after much prayer and some experience the other issues began to resolve as well).

I initially began exploring Orthodoxy with the intent of simply studying the theology, as that was what seemed to me its strongest point (and I didn't want to put myself under disciplines like Orthodox fasting). But as I began to experience the Church, and the fullness of the faith, I recognized that there was much more than just the theology. The practice of the faith, the tools the Church offers to help us in cooperating with God to be transformed into the likeness of Christ, and the Sacraments - well, I will just say that both the theology and the practice fit together into such a whole that I can't imagine now not having all of it.

I do believe that there are certainly people of great sincerity who seek God among both Catholics and Protestants. But I cannot be Catholic because I believe certain things they have added over the centuries are errors. And Protestants are of course a very diverse group, yet most of them focus on a narrow slice of the whole - either the mostly intellectual pursuits of studying and relying on Scripture alone, or elevating emotional response during worship and sometimes prayer to a primary place, etc. There is much disagreement and confusion about what is truth, and there are Scriptures that remain difficult to incorporate into the theology of just about any denomination. While there may be some sense of community and even a great deal of care for others, it still does not reach the understanding of the community of faith that includes ALL the Church, including the Saints who have gone before and are very much alive in Christ, and the understanding of how greatly the poor can be of spiritual benefit to those who help them, and so much more. There is a greater true connection of all parts of the Body, and a truer and wider expression of love that is fostered by fuller theology and practice of faith.

I'm just thankful God led me to Orthodoxy. I would never have been able to reach such things on my own, and I'm thankful the Church has preserved them.

I know you asked for concrete answers, and not experience-based ones, and I can appreciate that. I felt the very same way coming from Pentecostal (mostly non-denom). And I realize I have answered partly in terms of experiences. There ARE many concrete answers, and that was what initially drew me to Orthodoxy. But I would have to go into all the particular doctrines to point them out, and that would make an already long post (sorry!) much TOO long. Again, ArmyMatt is right. But as I came into the Orthodox Church, I took months examining each point of doctrine. It takes time.

Once again, welcome. Please stay around, and feel free to ask any further questions. I've only found Orthodoxy a few years ago, so I'm certainly no expert. But I know what it's like to be seeking, and to encounter the Orthodox Church. God be with you!

 

[E.C.]

Good morning, and God bless all!

I am a student of theology and philosophy at Oral Roberts University, born and raised Charismatic non-denominational, and was very surprised to begin losing faith in Protestantism when my studies commenced. Unfortunately, due to the highly Pentecostal-Charismatic culture here, I feel a bit alone in my search for truth rather than relativistic joke theology or subjective self-experience.

I'll be attending an Orthodox service this coming Sunday, most likely, but I wanted to get some feedback from the Orthodox on CF. Why are you Orthodox? Clearly you think Orthodoxy more tenable than Catholicism and Protestantism, but why? And why not Protestantism or Catholicism?

What I'm looking for is an apologetic for Orthodoxy and a polemic for the other two major traditions (if Protestantism could be called a tradition). I'm looking for truth, not some kind of feeling or self-experience; I've had that all my life. Rather, I want to know why I ought to convert to Orthodoxy, and not some form of Catholicism or Reformed Christianity.

Many thanks to all who take the time to answer!
--J Elias

Welcome to TAW!

So I became Orthodox after a search for the Truth. I looked at Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and even a little Tao and Rastafarianism before realizing the the Truth will only exist in Christianity.

I didn't go with Protestantism because that tradition began 1500 years (give or take a few) after Christ Himself was on earth therefore it would be impossible for any of those groups to be what began on Pentecost.

I left Catholicism because in just the last 100 years, that Roman Catholic Church has changed itself so much that it is unrecognizable. For example, the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s did more to erase Catholic monasticism than centuries of persecution.

Orthodoxy has withstood not only the persecutions of the Roman Empire, but also those from Communism and 1400+ years of being under the Islamic yoke. Orthodoxy is also doing a better job at withstanding secular humanism than other Christian bodies; as Protestant and Catholic churches close, Orthodox churches continue to open.