Why?

[LogosRhema]

Hello everyone!

Don't know if many of you remember me, but I've asked honest questions before and I'm back for more.

I do plan on visiting my local Eastern Orthodox Congregation sometime soon!

Personal question for those who want to open up:

Why do you choose the Eastern Orthodox belief versus other Protestant Congregations?

Those who have grown up in this Church and those who have found their pilgrimage of faith into this church please do answer!!

I look forward to all of your answers.

 

[Dorothea]

I am sort of a cradle Orthodox. I was baptized at 1-years-old as Greek Orthodox, but I didn't grow up in the church. I found my faith in my mid 20s. I realized what a treasure it was when I started going to catachumen classes with my husband when we were engaged to be married. I love learning day by day about Orthodoxy. I'll never know it all. Why do I choose to stay with this? Well, I'll tell you, when I was a teen, I was embarrassed to say I was GO because nobody knew what it was and it wasn't popular, so I told everyone I was protestant. Some would ask, "Oh, presbyterian? Baptist?" I'd respond with, "Just protestant" and shrug it off. I really probably was that, if even that at that time (my dad was protestant throughout this whole time, but not practicing). I had no real spiritual direction other than I believed in God, but I knew nothing about what the NT had to say, so I was a bit cut off, if you will, although I knew who Jesus was....Son of God, but that was about it, sadly. Anyway, Why I chose to go to the local GO church when I came back to my faith? My parents had started going at the time and my sister before them. I decided to go to it with my parents. It felt familiar, comfortable, and at home for me was the first reason I did so. Now, that it's been over a decade since then, I love my church (Orthodoxy) more and more each year and feel blessed to be a part of its members. That's the best way I can describe my experience. I don't know if that helps you out at all.

 

[Andrew21091]

Why do you choose the Eastern Orthodox belief versus other Protestant Congregations?

Because Orthodoxy is the Truth. It is the faith that the Apostles handed down to us.


By the way, your question seems as if you are categorizing Orthodoxy as a Protestant sect as you ask why we didn't choose another Protestant group. Why not say, "other Christian groups" or something of the nature. Orthodoxy is the faith that was founded at Pentecost and then the Roman Catholics broke from Orthodoxy and then Protestantism sprouted from the Roman Catholic church in a million different sects. Orthodoxy has almost nothing in common with Protestantism since they have lost the faith of the Apostles. Sorry if I misunderstood you. I never considered or even thought about joining a Protestant sect because they have not preserved the faith. They have abandoned all Tradition and have changed everything that the holy fathers established and died for.

Forgive me.

 

[gzt]

For the salvation of my soul. There is no other way.

 

[LogosRhema]

Because Orthodoxy is the Truth. It is the faith that the Apostles handed down to us.


By the way, your question seems as if you are categorizing Orthodoxy as a Protestant sect as you ask why we didn't choose another Protestant group. Why not say, "other Christian groups" or something of the nature. Orthodoxy is the faith that was founded at Pentecost and then the Roman Catholics broke from Orthodoxy and then Protestantism sprouted from the Roman Catholic church in a million different sects. Orthodoxy has almost nothing in common with Protestantism since they have lost the faith of the Apostles. Sorry if I misunderstood you. I never considered or even thought about joining a Protestant sect because they have not preserved the faith. They have abandoned all Tradition and have changed everything that the holy fathers established and died for.

Forgive me.

I mean no harm. You will learn that I'm asking harmless questions.

You are young. Why and how is orthodoxy Truth?

 

[LogosRhema]

For the salvation of my soul. There is no other way.

Please do explain your statement. Obviously you have back up behind your statements, please do share.

 

[Reader Antonius]

Please do explain your statement. Obviously you have back up behind your statements, please do share.

While I am not gzt, I know from my own experience that those of us who believe Christ founded an institutional Church, then naturally she contains the fullness of the way to salvation......so to be outside Her is to be outside Christ and without Christ their is no salvation.

My spiritual father explained during my journey home that it is like the Ark that Noah built. Those who were in the ark were saved, those outside were swept away. This is a very Patristic viewpoint and hence the Church is called by many who believe in the concept of a visible Church as the "Ark of Salvation."

Forgive me if this is seen as an intrusion.

 

[Reader Antonius]

Because Orthodoxy is the Truth. It is the faith that the Apostles handed down to us.


By the way, your question seems as if you are categorizing Orthodoxy as a Protestant sect as you ask why we didn't choose another Protestant groups.

Forgive me.

I doubt, brother Andrew, that he was trying to equate Holy Orthodoxy with the Protestant cults out there.

And besides, he is our elder so we must respect him, LOL!



God Bless You.

 

[LogosRhema]

I doubt, brother Andrew, that he was trying to equate Holy Orthodoxy with the Protestant cults out there.

And besides, he is our elder so we must respect him, LOL!



God Bless You.

I like you. Better recognize!!!

 

[LogosRhema]

While I am not gzt, I know from my own experience that those of us who believe Christ founded an institutional Church, then naturally she contains the fullness of the way to salvation......so to be outside Her is to be outside Christ and without Christ their is no salvation.

My spiritual father explained during my journey home that it is like the Ark that Noah built. Those who were in the ark were saved, those outside were swept away. This is a very Patristic viewpoint and hence the Church is called by many who believe in the concept of a visible Church as the "Ark of Salvation."

Forgive me if this is seen as an intrusion.

I'm not here to argue, but to understand.

What makes you so sure in your faith of Orthodoxy? Am I too doomed even though I am active in my Faith... day in and out I follow and talk to Him as my friend? He shows me so much... so much beauty. Are you sure those outside are doomed? Please do explain completely.

 

[Reader Antonius]

I'm not here to argue, but to understand.

What makes you so sure in your faith of Orthodoxy? Am I too doomed even though I am active in my Faith... day in and out I follow and talk to Him as my friend? He shows me so much... so much beauty. Are you sure those outside are doomed? Please do explain completely.

Actually I am not in communion with the EO Churches. I am a Latin Catholic of the Patriarchate of Rome, although I am now gravitating towards the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, which is a Byzantine Catholic Church. (www.byzcath.org) I float around on these forums because I seek a greater understanding of Eastern Orthodox Christianity and also because I very nearly became Eastern Orthodox (I was formerly a Baptist and a Pagan).

As a Catholic Christian it wouldn't be prudent for me to give a take on my beliefs here on TAW but I don't want to leave you hanging so here is a link: http://www.catholic.com/library/Salvation_Outside_the_Church.asp

Anyway from my days studying Eastern Orthodoxy, there are a number of views. Some are really akriveia which believe that unless you are Orthodox you cannot be saved, although they are rare. I think most Orthodox probably agree with his emminence, Bishop Kallistos Ware:

Over the past half century, there have been a large number of encouraging and fruitful contacts between Orthodox and other Christians. Although enormous obstacles still remain, there has also been great progress towards a reconciliation . . . while it is true to say that Orthodoxy is the Church, it is false to conclude from this that those who are not Orthodox cannot possibly belong to the Church . . . We know where the Church is but we cannot be sure where it is not; and so we must refrain from passing judgment on non-Orthodox Christians . . . There is only one Church, but there are many different ways of being related to this one Church . . . Much is also being achieved more informally through personal contacts . . . signs of a rapprochement are increasing year by year.

That is from his "Orthodox Church"

This quote also pretty much sums up the Catholic Church's position btw.

 

[heart of peace]

Why do you choose the Eastern Orthodox belief versus other Protestant Congregations?

Essentially, the Church chose me rather than me choosing the Church (I was born into the faith). However, I did fall away from the Church for a certain amount of years to "explore" other denominations of Christianity and after spending all that time studying other denominations I returned back to the faith of my youth stronger and more committed.

 

[-Kyriaki-]

I was protestant, then became...non-mainstream protestant (the church I belonged to read a lot of the Church fathers and Karl Barth and his student TF Torrance) which meant that I had an Eastern view of things like the Trinity and salvation (well, sorta, on the second one) but I still wasn't getting given answers to my questions. I disagreed with the west in general on theology - their view of God seemed totally alien to the one the Church Fathers spoke of, and in light of their writings, the one that I saw reflected in Scripture. However, I wasn't going to go to the other extreme either, like many people, where they focus on the love of God and forget justice (not that God's justice is anything like ours, but they had it all sunshine and rainbows). Finally I wanted to know 'ok, God loves me and doesn't want to send me to Hell. so what now, what do I do?' People kept telling me just be Christian and try to be a good person. Not satisfactory. I found the Orthodox Church which told me 'oh good - now here, grow!' and I have been ever since

 

[gzt]

Sorry for my initial cheeky response, but my reply was quite serious in one sense: the only reason to be Orthodox is that it is necessary for the salvation of one's soul, and if one doesn't believe that, one should not become Orthodox.

Part of why I personally believe that to be so is that, to me, Nicene orthodoxy, the creation of the Bible, and the Church that produced them are inextricably intertwined. Protestantism is, essentially, impossible.

 

[Julina]

I'm not here to argue, but to understand.

What makes you so sure in your faith of Orthodoxy? Am I too doomed even though I am active in my Faith... day in and out I follow and talk to Him as my friend? He shows me so much... so much beauty. Are you sure those outside are doomed? Please do explain completely.

it is not our call to say if you're doomed. it's God's. period.
i asked my SF if it's fair to say that non-OC people wouldn't go to heaven, and he said absolutely not.

anyway, your original question was why. i chose Orthodoxy because it's the most complete, and to me it also seems like these are the only Christians who actually get Christianity.

if there's anything more you want to know, just ask

 

[E.C.]

Personal question for those who want to open up:

Why do you choose the Eastern Orthodox belief versus other Protestant Congregations?

I was born and raised Roman Catholic until I was sixteen.

I'm sorry, but when one visits any non-RC parish and reveals that they are/were from Rome, one typically does not like to be bombarded with accusations of being the cause of all evil in the world and a follower of the Antichrist, etc etc. If anything, all that it did was strengthen my zeal as a Roman Catholic and my distaste for Protestantism.

However, when I started visiting Orthodox parishes and revealed that I was a Roman Catholic, no one cared. All they said was "You're a Roman Catholic? Great! Have more food!"

And the rest is history.

 

[Michael G]

My long conversion story is in the conversion stories thread in St. Basils, but in the end I embraced Orthodox Christianity because God chose me to and willed it. It is as simple as that.

 

[Lukaris]

To be Christian in spirit and truth, realize that there is hope for non Christians in the Kingdom of God. The need to be ever accountable to the Holy Trinity; to avoid the traps of judgementalism and universalism. The need for sacrament rather than human opinion when anxiety exists (confession and Eucharist). Understand and observe the basics of prayer, fasting, and alms giving in living the Christian life (theosis) (with the 10 commandments and Beatitudes in focus) balanced against worldly social activism that often perpetuates human misery. To realize that I am just a sheep who follows the Good Shepherd. (this is not an opinion towards other Christians; there are godly Orthodox & non Orthodox.)

 

[Barky]

I stumbled upon Orthodoxy when I couldn't believe in some dogmas Rome preached. I found the Jesus Prayer shortly after and that was it for me. Orthodoxy is the Truth, and this is evident from the changes in my thinking, my attitudes, my very life. God has blessed me by showing me the True Faith. I asked Him to lead me to His Church and He has, Glory to God who leads sinful men to Him!

 

[ma2000]

I think most Orthodox probably agree with his emminence, Bishop Kallistos Ware:



That is from his "Orthodox Church"

This quote also pretty much sums up the Catholic Church's position btw.

That is a open world assumption