Why did you decide to convert?

[Knowledge3]

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

 

[Mary of Bethany]

The deciding factor for me is that I had come to believe that the church established by Christ and the Apostles was still here - it was either the RCC or the Orthodox - and I needed to join myself to it. And I became convinced that the Orthodox was the one that had remained faithful to the original teachings through all the centuries.

Mary

 

[Breaking Babylon]

Exactly what Mary said.

 

[Protoevangel]

Why did you decide to convert?
What are your specific reasons for converting to the Orthodox faith?

Because I was convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Church is one. That the Church of Jerusalem, Antioch, etc. all still exist, and that Jesus told the truth when He said, "...and the gates of Hell shall not overcome...".

EDIT: Mary said it better than I did... But it's all the same reason.

 

[Matrona]

I don't know about y'all, but I did it for the food.

 

[kamikat]

I don't know about y'all, but I did it for the food.

Ya know, this past Sunday, a lady gave me a big plate piled high with leftover baklava to take home to my husband and kids. She said, in her thick Bulgarian accent, "no man can resist baklava. You tell him we have baklava and he will come to church".

Honestly, Mary has already said my intellectual reasons, but the truth is that in the Orthodox Church, I learned to love God in a way that was never possible in other churches. The Orthodox Church showed me that God is the lover of mankind.

 

[seashale76]

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

Well, it wasn't just one thing. I was a desperate case. I believed in God (had been Pentecostal and Southern Baptist), but I was pretty convinced that there wasn't anything like the Early Church out there, which left me with nothing. It was devastating for me to even think that, but I wasn't going to settle for anything less. I looked into everything and even other religions without committing myself to anything.

So, in a round about way, Sola Scriptura was the first to go for me. I encountered Orthodoxy thinking that it would be just like everything else. I read The Orthodox Way and was intrigued enough to learn more and actually go to a Divine Liturgy. I was convinced after the first time. I felt God's presence in a way I'd never thought possible. It also makes sense as this was lacking in every other religion and denomination I've ever looked into. I have rational tendencies and Orthodoxy doesn't ask someone to leave their brains at the door.

 

[KATHXOYMENOC]

http://waterandspirit.blogspot.com/2006/10/why-orthodox-church.html

http://waterandspirit.blogspot.com/2006/10/with-my-own-eyes.html

http://waterandspirit.blogspot.com/2007/01/to-be-deep-in-history-is-to-cease-to-be.html

http://waterandspirit.blogspot.com/2007/02/but-was-it-christianity.html

http://janotec.typepad.com/terrace/2007/01/ford_prefect_sp_2.html - esp. starting with "I admire Thomas Oden...." (about halfway down the post/page)

 

[Orthocat]

I agree with all the above.

In my own walk, I got tired of the west's outlook on the acquisition of head knowledge = holiness = salvation. I could quote from Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Bible chapter and verse but nothing from my heart. Ryrie and Scofield were the "saints".

I can say that I fell in love with Orthodoxy. While intellectual knowledge is good, now concentration is upon the heart. And the change in my life...words cannot describe...

 

[Grand_Duchess-Elizaveta]

Well, I converted mostly for the reasons Mary mentioned above. Once I realized that the Faith of the Apostles, the early Church, was still alive and well and actually had NOT disappeared after Christ only to reappear at the protestant reformation .

However, even knowing Orthodoxy was the right path, I was a little resistant to start attending liturgy because at that time, the nearest Orthodox church was over an hour's drive away. It didn't seem practical (or affordable) to drive that far every Sunday. I decided I would visit one more protestant church just to see if I could find something almost as good as Orthodoxy (lol). Well, here's how the experience went: First there was the typical hymn singing, then the "sermon" (you will find out why sermon is in quotations in a moment...). The title of the sermon was "Recipe for a happy family". Hmmm...okay. I had a funny feeling about it, but was willing to listen. Basically, all the pastor did was read from an index card the following:
5 cups of love
a sprinkle of gladness
2 cups of joy
a handful of hugs
ect.....you get the picture...

Um, yeah....that's not a sermon, that's a refrigerator magnet. Then everyone got their own recipe card passed around to take home with them. Let me tell you, folks, that was EXACTLY what I needed to high-tail it out of there and into the nearest Orthodox Church. I left that place with such a bone-crushing emptiness and feeling such a fool for thinking I could find the fullness of truth anywhere else. I am now happy to say that the emptiness I felt in all my protestant years has been gone for a couple years now. Words cannot describe the joy I feel at having finally found my home.

 

[gorion]

Anonykat and Unworthyseraphim convinced me I was a closed minded idiot that needed to learn more than my protestant teachers were sharing

Thats how it all started.

Rdr. James

 

[Akathist]

Why did I decide to convert?

Because once I saw the fullness of faith and truth in action and beliefs, I could never have walked away from it.

For me, there was simply no way I could have ever gone back to any other church having seen the light of the EO Church, everything else lost its pull on me.

I have said this here and there, but I believe that if I had not converted to the EO faith, I would have been lost. I felt that there was no choice. It was the only way for me.

And I have never ever even for a moment regretted it.

 

[KATHXOYMENOC]

Why did I decide to convert?

Because once I saw the fullness of faith and truth in action and beliefs, I could never have walked away from it.

For me, there was simply no way I could have ever gone back to any other church having seen the light of the EO Church, everything else lost its pull on me.

I have said this here and there, but I believe that if I had not converted to the EO faith, I would have been lost. I felt that there was no choice. It was the only way for me.

And I have never ever even for a moment regretted it.

Any time I thought during our journey in Orthodoxy about returning to our former non-denominational Protestantism (and the thought occurred many times during the 2 years we've been at the Orthodox Church, and I even visited a time or two), a look at their Web pages and a listen to their online sermons made me realize that I couldn't go back. And if I couldn't go back, there were only two options: Orthodoxy, or leaving Christianity-as-I-knew-it (which included thinking about leaving Christianity altogether - and don't think that the thought didn't occur to me at times during the past two years).

 

[Mirc]

I was born Orthodox, but I chose to stay as an Orthodox because of the reasons already mentioned above.

(edit: I'm new to this forum, I don't understand why this big grin smiley looks like it's losing its teeth! lol)

 

[Michael G]

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

 

[gorion]

Why poo poo the parade? There is nothing wrong with this thread is there?

 

[Michael G]

Why poo poo the parade? There is nothing wrong with this thread is there?

?

 

[Knowledge3]

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.

 

[Michael G]

One reason I am converting to the Orthodox faith is that I have an appreciation for ancient icons and artwork. The sense of Tradition that is appealing to my visual eyesight, and the general disposition to become a living icon of Christ.

Aesthetic reasons are not the reason to convert to Orthodox Christianity. I think you will find, the end reason why all of us embraced Orthodoxy was the belief it is the true faith in Jesus Christ and we found in the Church the home we were always looking for.

 

[Protoevangel]

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

That's a great idea Michael. That is a great thread!