Transitioning into Orthodoxy

[theoneandonlypencil]

First off, hi everyone--I used to be a bit of a regular on this site, and a lot has changed over the time I've had this account :'^) I look back on here and cringe slightly at my post history, but that's to be expected I think.

I'll be speaking on my behalf here, but my husband has also been experiencing almost everything the same as I have been, so much of this applies to him as well.

Ever since I entered adulthood and began to look at my faith more seriously, I have never been able to find a church or denomination that I felt truly 'at home' with. I don't mean this in the way that I simply didn't like the theology, or disagreed with it on surface-level topics--I suppose, spiritually, I just never felt like any of the places I was in were the 'truth', I suppose??? I grew up protestant. Non-denom, with a bit of methodist views sprinkled in. My first deviation from this was when I turned 18, and began attending a local Lutheran church after beginning my research on other denominations. To make a long story short, while I find Lutheran ideology better than much of what Protestantism has to offer, it still left me feeling spiritually dry and conflicted.

I remained non-denominational for a while after that. Briefly, I was considering Catholicism under the encouragement of a close friend. However, there were still things about the Catholic church and its teachings that, while I couldn't quite put my finger on it, made me feel like it also wasn't the correct path. ((I have always disagreed with papal infallibility on a fundamental level, for example))

This year, I have finally begun to learn more about Orthodoxy. A friend of mine is a very devout Eastern Orthodox Christian, and has done well with explaining a lot of general beliefs/teachings of the church. It probably sounds really silly, but I just feel sort of...drawn to the church, I guess. Everything I've learned about it and its theology makes sense to me, and for the first time in a long while, I feel like I'm actually moving toward God and not just twiddling my thumbs in place.

I don't want to rush into this, and the last thing I want is to have a repeat of my stint with Lutheranism. What steps should I take as a serious inquirer of the faith? I want to do this right. My husband and I, along with a friend who is also interested in the church, are going to one of the only Eastern Orthodox churches we have nearby((it's an hour away))and would be more than willing to make the commute every Sunday if it seems like the right thing to do.

Sorry if this was long-winded. The only thing that hasn't changed is my ability to write clear and concise posts lol.

 

[HTacianas]

First off, hi everyone--I used to be a bit of a regular on this site, and a lot has changed over the time I've had this account :'^) I look back on here and cringe slightly at my post history, but that's to be expected I think.

I'll be speaking on my behalf here, but my husband has also been experiencing almost everything the same as I have been, so much of this applies to him as well.

Ever since I entered adulthood and began to look at my faith more seriously, I have never been able to find a church or denomination that I felt truly 'at home' with. I don't mean this in the way that I simply didn't like the theology, or disagreed with it on surface-level topics--I suppose, spiritually, I just never felt like any of the places I was in were the 'truth', I suppose??? I grew up protestant. Non-denom, with a bit of methodist views sprinkled in. My first deviation from this was when I turned 18, and began attending a local Lutheran church after beginning my research on other denominations. To make a long story short, while I find Lutheran ideology better than much of what Protestantism has to offer, it still left me feeling spiritually dry and conflicted.

I remained non-denominational for a while after that. Briefly, I was considering Catholicism under the encouragement of a close friend. However, there were still things about the Catholic church and its teachings that, while I couldn't quite put my finger on it, made me feel like it also wasn't the correct path. ((I have always disagreed with papal infallibility on a fundamental level, for example))

This year, I have finally begun to learn more about Orthodoxy. A friend of mine is a very devout Eastern Orthodox Christian, and has done well with explaining a lot of general beliefs/teachings of the church. It probably sounds really silly, but I just feel sort of...drawn to the church, I guess. Everything I've learned about it and its theology makes sense to me, and for the first time in a long while, I feel like I'm actually moving toward God and not just twiddling my thumbs in place.

I don't want to rush into this, and the last thing I want is to have a repeat of my stint with Lutheranism. What steps should I take as a serious inquirer of the faith? I want to do this right. My husband and I, along with a friend who is also interested in the church, are going to one of the only Eastern Orthodox churches we have nearby((it's an hour away))and would be more than willing to make the commute every Sunday if it seems like the right thing to do.

Sorry if this was long-winded. The only thing that hasn't changed is my ability to write clear and concise posts lol.

Your story sounds almost the same as mine. I was born into a Baptist family and only became Orthodox later in life. The best thing to do is to attend the Liturgy with your Orthodox friend and observe for a time. Try not to become "too Orthodox too fast".

Welcome to the kingdom of God! The place where God truly dwells among men.

 

[AlexB23]

First off, hi everyone--I used to be a bit of a regular on this site, and a lot has changed over the time I've had this account :'^) I look back on here and cringe slightly at my post history, but that's to be expected I think.

I'll be speaking on my behalf here, but my husband has also been experiencing almost everything the same as I have been, so much of this applies to him as well.

Ever since I entered adulthood and began to look at my faith more seriously, I have never been able to find a church or denomination that I felt truly 'at home' with. I don't mean this in the way that I simply didn't like the theology, or disagreed with it on surface-level topics--I suppose, spiritually, I just never felt like any of the places I was in were the 'truth', I suppose??? I grew up protestant. Non-denom, with a bit of methodist views sprinkled in. My first deviation from this was when I turned 18, and began attending a local Lutheran church after beginning my research on other denominations. To make a long story short, while I find Lutheran ideology better than much of what Protestantism has to offer, it still left me feeling spiritually dry and conflicted.

I remained non-denominational for a while after that. Briefly, I was considering Catholicism under the encouragement of a close friend. However, there were still things about the Catholic church and its teachings that, while I couldn't quite put my finger on it, made me feel like it also wasn't the correct path. ((I have always disagreed with papal infallibility on a fundamental level, for example))

This year, I have finally begun to learn more about Orthodoxy. A friend of mine is a very devout Eastern Orthodox Christian, and has done well with explaining a lot of general beliefs/teachings of the church. It probably sounds really silly, but I just feel sort of...drawn to the church, I guess. Everything I've learned about it and its theology makes sense to me, and for the first time in a long while, I feel like I'm actually moving toward God and not just twiddling my thumbs in place.

I don't want to rush into this, and the last thing I want is to have a repeat of my stint with Lutheranism. What steps should I take as a serious inquirer of the faith? I want to do this right. My husband and I, along with a friend who is also interested in the church, are going to one of the only Eastern Orthodox churches we have nearby((it's an hour away))and would be more than willing to make the commute every Sunday if it seems like the right thing to do.

Sorry if this was long-winded. The only thing that hasn't changed is my ability to write clear and concise posts lol.

On behalf of a Catholic, welcome to the Orthodox Church. Catholics, Orthodox and Anglicans are pretty much brethren at this point.

As a Catholic, I disagree with papal infallibility as well (as only Jesus is infallible), but don't let my fellow Catholics hear that. If you need any help with Orthodox beliefs, feel free to ask the Orthodox folks in this forum about it. Also, there are Orthodox documents on my computer, so if you need any help, you can ask me a question, and the AI on my laptop could answer the question.

Recommended Literature:
John Anthony McGuckin - The Orthodox Church: Amazon.com
Bp. Sotirios - Orthodox Catechism: https://goarchdiocese.ca/wp-content...ism-Basic-Teachings-of-the-Orthodox-Faith.pdf

 

[rusmeister]

My two cents to every inquirer is to warn them not to expect a club of holy people - parishioners, priests, even bishops, will disappoint you sooner or later. Sometimes that’s you not understanding something, sometimes they really do fall into error and say and support wrong things.
And don’t try to manufacture or look for any feelings inside of you. Feelings come and go, and are nice when good ones happen, but the Faith is not a feely-goody thing as such. Just do like HTacianas said, attend the Liturgy, soak in it, and take in what you can.

 

[notRusskiyMir]

I am cradle Orthodox but grew up mostly around protestants. Not that I am a "conversion guru".

I suggest you get the fundamentals out of the way. The link below is for Trisagion Films which is headed by an Orthodox priest, Father Panayiotis Papageorgiou, Ph.D, whose church is in Marietta, GA, outside Atlanta. He is from Cyprus but has advanced degrees from US universities. He is a scientist (chemical engineer?) originally. Exploring his site, there is much there.

The link specifically is for videos of Orthodox fundamentals. I would start with the redemption, original sin and atonement videos - some "light viewing". (The atonement and redemption overlap, so really, view the original sin and either of the other two to start.)

Ask Fr. Panayiotis — Trisagion Films

www.trisagionfilms.com

That way, there are no big surprises. These highlight the main differences with Catholic/protestant beliefs - other than, ... you know.

Next, as elsewhere said, visit one or more Orthodox churches. Talk to the priest when you are ready. Lutheran is liturgical, but not like Orthodoxy. You'll have to be comfortable with that.

Finally, there are the people. As others have said +/-, we Orthodox are human. Some you'll like and others not so much. Normal stuff. But your 'transition' will be more pleasant if you are comfortable with a few of the Faithful there.

I provided a post about visiting an Orthodox church. It may be helpful.

Visiting an Orthodox Church - for Seekers

I posted this in a few YouTube videos having to do with the subject, and have received positive feedback. Too often the videos do not deal with the basic things a visitor can expect. I am putting it here for comment and as something useful for the seekers. For fellow Orthodox, if you see the...

www.christianforums.com

May you be successful!

 

[The Liturgist]

My main advice would be to avoid the Old Calendarists.

 

[ArmyMatt]

go to Liturgy, pay attention as best you can, talk to the priest afterwards.