Why did you decide to convert?

Knowledge3 said:

One reason I am converting to the Orthodox faith is that I have an appreciation for ancient icons and artwork.

The sense of Tradition is appealing to my visual eyesight, and the general disposition to become a living icon of Christ.

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An interesting essay:

http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/brorthoc.htm

Excerpt: "There is only one criterion for entering the Orthodox Church and that is because you are convinced that it is for your personal salvation, for your spiritual survival, because it is God's Will for you, because you know that this is your spiritual home and that, whatever the cost, you can never be anything else."

But yeah, there's a place for recognizing that we all come for less than perfect reasons because we are, after all, all too human. Some of our reasons may in fact not only be less than perfect but even wrong. Hopefully we are gently corrected in the end to the right attitude.

Michael the Iconographer said:

There is a conversion stories thread that is really, really good. Why don't you read it.

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I guess I'll finally be qualified to add my story to that thread in about a week and a half.

gzt said:

But yeah, there's a place for recognizing that we all come for less than perfect reasons because we are, after all, all too human. Some of our reasons may in fact not only be less than perfect but even wrong. Hopefully we are gently corrected in the end to the right attitude.

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True but conversion to Orthodoxy just cuz icons look pretty is not a very solid basis and could easily be shaken by the evil one.

kamikat said:

I guess I'll finally be qualified to add my story to that thread in about a week and a half.

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Can't wait to read it.

Knowledge3 said:

One reason I am converting to the Orthodox faith is that I have an appreciation for ancient icons and artwork.

The sense of Tradition is appealing to my visual eyesight, and the general disposition to become a living icon of Christ.

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The Sistine Chapel is very beautiful.
Michaelangelo's Moses is awe-inspiring.

The Vatican has more gold and is considered more beautiful than the crumbling (but Blessed) Hagia Sophia.

Surely there must be more than just the sensual when choosing Orthodoxy?

Knowledge3 said:

I was actually referring to the simple and golden theology of icons.

For me, the icons become living presentations of historic tradition.

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Icons are not representations. They are not meant to represent anything. That is why they do not have naturalism to their technique. Icons are theology in color. They are windows into Heaven. They are dynamic letters of God's love for man. But they are not history lessons, or meant to show what so or so saint looked like.

Knowledge3 said:

I was actually referring to the simple and golden theology of icons.

For me, the icons become living presentations of a historic tradition.

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aaahh. I understand and can appreciate that. Our icons do show a type of history of our church..and our various cultures.
I am saddened by the thought of so many that have been purposely destroyed throughout the years, but gladdened by the thought that they continue with fresh writers as we speak.

kamikat said:

I guess I'll finally be qualified to add my story to that thread in about a week and a half.

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Hurray!!

As one who also had a tough time coming to Orthodoxy (though my route was quite different from yours), I am SO GLAD that you have peace about your decision.

It was the hats.

Seriously, it was the fact that I had pretty much reached the end of the road and had to make a decision. I had tried many different flavors of Christianity and nothing satisfied. I was just about ready to visit the local Catholic Church since it was the last (I thought, never having heard of Orthodoxy) stop before I left Christianity or just faded into agnositicism.

When I drifted into TAW, I was stunned and delighted at the unity of faith I saw among people from nearly every walk of life and countries all over the world. I knew there had to be something to it. Then the words that really grabbed me were spoken by Father at our first meeting. He told me, "Read about Orthodoxy and study before you make a decision. Don't rush into it. Make sure this is what you want because if you leave here, there is nowhere else you can go to find more truth."

In no particular order of importance because they're all important:

1) Study of the history, reading the Apostolic Fathers, reading book 4? of Irenaeus' Against Heresies.

2) Being convinced over time that various claims of Orthodoxy have merit. The first one that got me was that the rest of Christianity is far too divided, too many denominations, too much confusion. You don't know where to go anymore to find the Church. The next was that the splits were caused in the first place because events such as the Schism and the Reformation made people think it was okay to leave/divide the established Church. After that, it's just one split after another, very unstable, with even the denominations splitting. Orthodoxy is a tree; Protestantism is a bunch of splinters.

3) Wanting a place where my wounded, sinful soul could finally be healed. I began to crave confession, where once I had thought it was a Catholic heresy. I began to crave fasting, prayer, and ancient worship. I began wondering how much of my life would have been different if only I'd had a priest to confess to and ask advice of. How many mistakes would I have avoided?

4) Prayer. I kept asking God to show me the way to go.

5) I wanted a place where I could be sure the Holy Spirit was speaking. I was sick and tired of hearing every doctrine, theory or desire defended as "the Holy Spirit led me to this." How can the Holy Spirit lead one person to say that homosexuality is wrong, and another person to believe God smiles on his relationship with his gay life partner? How can the Holy Spirit lead those who put the canon together, but lead another person to believe that the Bible only consists of certain books--and the books of Paul can be deleted? Etc. etc. Even before I considered Orthodoxy, I was sitting in a class on Issues in my PCUSA church, listening to various points of view about homosexuality in the church. During a question-and-answer session afterwards, somebody asked, "If everybody says the Holy Spirit told them different things, how do we know who the Holy Spirit really spoke to?" I had the exact same thought. And the preacher had no answer.

NyssaTheHobbit said:

In no particular order of importance because they're all important:

1) Study of the history, reading the Apostolic Fathers, reading book 4? of Irenaeus' Against Heresies.

2) Being convinced over time that various claims of Orthodoxy have merit. The first one that got me was that the rest of Christianity is far too divided, too many denominations, too much confusion. You don't know where to go anymore to find the Church. The next was that the splits were caused in the first place because events such as the Schism and the Reformation made people think it was okay to leave/divide the established Church. After that, it's just one split after another, very unstable, with even the denominations splitting. Orthodoxy is a tree; Protestantism is a bunch of splinters.

3) Wanting a place where my wounded, sinful soul could finally be healed. I began to crave confession, where once I had thought it was a Catholic heresy. I began to crave fasting, prayer, and ancient worship. I began wondering how much of my life would have been different if only I'd had a priest to confess to and ask advice of. How many mistakes would I have avoided?

4) Prayer. I kept asking God to show me the way to go.

5) I wanted a place where I could be sure the Holy Spirit was speaking. I was sick and tired of hearing every doctrine, theory or desire defended as "the Holy Spirit led me to this." How can the Holy Spirit lead one person to say that homosexuality is wrong, and another person to believe God smiles on his relationship with his gay life partner? How can the Holy Spirit lead those who put the canon together, but lead another person to believe that the Bible only consists of certain books--and the books of Paul can be deleted? Etc. etc. Even before I considered Orthodoxy, I was sitting in a class on Issues in my PCUSA church, listening to various points of view about homosexuality in the church. During a question-and-answer session afterwards, somebody asked, "If everybody says the Holy Spirit told them different things, how do we know who the Holy Spirit really spoke to?" I had the exact same thought. And the preacher had no answer.

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Stick a fork in her; she's done. Welcome to the Holy Orthodox Church!

Less than a month ago, I was thinking that I would probably have to become Orthodox, and I was not looking forward to it. I was resigned to the fact, but not feeling joy about it. Not at all. Not one bit.

Now, though, I can't wait to be catechized, go through Great Lent, be baptized/chrismated and then partake of the Eucharist. This change, I believe, is an answer to prayer. And it has mostly been a few subtle things like this that helped me say "Yes." I am back to doing my prayers and enjoying it, too.

I broke away from the Church of England at about the age of 11 shortly after Confirmation, I started to delve into secular theories about life, the world etc. I eventually started to build a hate of the world, but also, a hate of religion. I was on the edge of atheism. At about the age of fourteen a texan girl came to live in England and went to my school. She, being a Baptist was distrought at my almost apostate state and encouraged me to study scripture. Soon enough I was studying, or rather reading the bible. I totally forgot how to and thus I read it from Genesis page 1 to 2 Kings before finding a church to go to.

This four year of my life, I call, my Great Church Quest.
List of Churches -
Anglican - Saint John the Baptist (Church of England)
Saint Anne's Baptist Church (The Church is not dedicated to Saint Anne, it is the name of the town)
Carey Baptist Church
Christian Calvary Fellowship
Carey Baptist Church (again)
Fulwood Free Methodist
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (oh dear!...may I add, at this point, I went to Fulwood Free Methodist on Friday nights, Mormon Church Sunday Mornings and the Anglican Church Sunday Evenings)
Saint Wilfred's Roman Catholic Church (one week)
The [Greek] Orthodox Church of the Holy Apostles, Preston.

And now,
The Orthodox Church in Wales....where ever I can find a liturgy.

I was sick with the happy clappy non substantial church of the 'evangelicals' and the extreme ritualism of the Anglican and Roman Catholic High Church.
I searched for the Church from pre-division times.
Naturally, the Mormons claimed to be that, for as a westerner I only knew of two churches, Protestant and "Catholic", so anything else seemed more correct.

I left mormonism after I realised what a screaming heresy it is.
found the Orthodox Church through talking to a very devout Anglican (who is really Roman catholic) and saw the wholeness of the faith.

And that is what I believe I found, the wholeness.
BTW, I spent many weeks trying to determine whether the Orthodox Church is just another cult, but true enough, it isn't...if it is, the Christian faith is just but an ancient lie.

I made this step in my life on my own will, my family was recently fragmented at the age of 14 with my father's decision of divorce and my mother became a bi-festival Christian (Christmas and Easter). My sister is athiest, but knows that there is more to life but is too scared to make the steps into a church.

My mum thinks I'm mad, my dad admires me, but thinks that the holy grail is in Scotland and that Jesus enjoyed many a good night with Mary Magdelene (he's a Dan Brownist). I placed and still place all my hope, not in a family as instution, nor as a Church as institution but rather in Christ as a servant.

I now study Theology at the University of Wales in Lampeter and am finding it, challenging academically, but not in the slightest spiritually.

I appreciate my past, and without condemnation love it, but realise how none of anything was whole till I found home.

By the Grace of God I am Christian, by my deeds, a Great Sinner.

KATHXOYMENOC said:

Stick a fork in her; she's done. Welcome to the Holy Orthodox Church!

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KATHXOYMENOC said:

An interesting essay:

http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/brorthoc.htm

Excerpt: "There is only one criterion for entering the Orthodox Church and that is because you are convinced that it is for your personal salvation, for your spiritual survival, because it is God's Will for you, because you know that this is your spiritual home and that, whatever the cost, you can never be anything else."

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Great quote. I really agree with it. Esp;ecially the part about "whatever the cost, (I) can never be anything else."

Literally, what ever the cost! The EO faith is a very narrow path and it is at times a very hard one to follow. But no matter how tough it gets at times, I could never walk a different path.

Knowledge3 said:

What are your specific reasons for converting to the Orthodox faith?

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Because it is True.

forgivensinner001 said:

It was the hats.

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You too huh? It was clearly the "Ministry of Funny Hats" that attracted me as well! On a more serious note, see The Monkey Ninja's post above /\
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A whole bunch of what just about everyone else has said so far... But what kicked us on to the Road to Constantinople (now that would be a Road movie, wouldn't it? Too bad Bob and Bing are no more!) was the Episcopal Church's decision to ordain a practicing divorced homosexual to the episcopacy.

The rest is the usual result of search for Truth, search for the true Church, and so forth.

And yes, the hats. I have never seen so many wonderful hats on clergy!