Scripture and tradition. A Aristocles Merarches Joined Apr 23, 2003 Messages 10,031 Reaction score 1 Points 0 Location Pittsburgh Aug 5, 2006 #4 Matthew777 said: Orthodoxy is true to the Lord, to herself and to her past. In many of these lands, Orthodoxy exhibits an unveiled distrust and even xenophobia toward the massive influx of Western missionaries into their backyards. A Christian representation of Vladimir I, who was the first Rus' leader to officially bring Christianity to the region. Vladimir fled to his kinsman Haakon Sigurdsson, who ruled Norway at the time. The basic theological impetus for the ever-virginity of Mary (besides the fact that it is presumably historically true and would have been passed down from the early days of the church) is the fact that Mary was profoundly sanctified by her role as the living sanctuary in which God dwelled (quite literally) for nine months and from whom he Orthodoxy looked like taking that escalator up one more floor; plenty of ceremony and beauty, but without the mainline churches affection for keeping up-to-date. Here is an overview of the steps you can take to convert to Orthodox Christianity: Talk With an Orthodox Priest. The West used unleavened bread, the East did not. Sizable groups of the Russian population are disenchanted with Orthodoxy for a number of reasons. We are not seeking to reform or to teach the Church how it should do things, but are rather seeking to be formed by the Church and to learn how we should be doing things as faithful Christians. My husband and I were just Chrismated into the church on Christmas day. While evangelicals might be eager to argue there is no biblical warrant for icons, for the Orthodox it is enough that icons have always been a part of church tradition. Rome accused the "Greek heretics" of trying to "humiliate and crush the holy catholic and apostolic church." At the beginning, I thought I knew what I was getting into. Becoming Orthodox means being willing to submit to the Church and Her bishops, who might not be interested in ordaining you. In the dystopian film,Children of Mendirected by Alfonso Cuarn, a world is imagined in the future where no more children are born, and, as the decades pass, humanity is plunged into despair. Nicholas Kim. You may wish to call the parish priest in advance to introduce yourself and explain that you will be joining him and the faithful of his parish for the first time, although this is not absolutely essential. A person (who is searching within) goes through clerical education to explore questions. In Catholicism this external dogmatic authority resides in the teaching magisterium of the church as expressed in the primacy and infallibility of the papacy. Instead, an adolescent has to figure out and establish his adult persona in the face of affection. These thirteen churches are united in their understanding of the sacraments, discipline, doctrine, faith, government, and worship, but they administer their internal affairs separately. An Orthodox Christian Perspective: Overcoming Difficulties in Life, Church Under Soviet Totalitarianism: Suppression, Resistance and Compliance, St Kassia and Her Creations, Still Heard at Todays Divine Services, The feast of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Inexhaustible Chalice, Why Our Catalogue Is More Than Just an Online Store Selling Church Supplies, The List of Musical Instruments Mentioned in the Bible, The First 40 Days after Death Explained by St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, An Old Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign Has Started to Exude Myrrh in the Diocese of Tula, Complete List of Prohibited Marriages in the Orthodox Church. T he Orthodox Church in the United States has problems. We should expect nothing less of ourselves than total respect for and even love of the history, theology, and culture of Orthodoxy; still, two things ought to be said about Orthodox complaints about Protestant proselytizing. Affectionate attempts to obscure this quest feel suffocating. Believe in the Church as the true Body of Christ, and the Churchflawed people and allwill help lead you down the right path. The basic framework of services like the Divine Liturgy or Vespers doesnt change much, but every day of the liturgical year provides prayers for saints and feasts that can be added to that framework. Not that every churchgoer is following that path, not that the church administration is perfect, but that the path still existed thats what amazed me. If anyone is unwilling or not ready to submit to the Church in all areas of life, they should stay awayuntil or unless they are ready to do so. But one insightful reader asked a penetrating question: "Your book does a fine job comparing the two traditions; why have you not converted to Orthodoxy?" Indeed, in a letter of 865, Pope Nicholas made it clear that he intended to extend the power of the papacy "over all the earth, that is, over every church." Site Map | Evangelicals focused on social ethics may also find little comradeship in Orthodoxy, as there is nothing in Orthodoxy comparable to the body of Catholic social teaching, for instance. There is a distinct set of conservative converts to Eastern Orthodoxy, which depending on your perspective either left, or was left by, Roman Catholicism in the Great Schism of 1054. But the "little guy" is not going through a phase. One finds that the Orthodox Church is indeed the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. Why Are There So Many Curses and Cruelties In The Psalms? Why Are Protestants Converting To Orthodox Christianity? And to share why I am not Orthodox. This gives strength and spiritual joy to her members, true to the Lords words, Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Mt. Included in this liturgy is an anathema on all those who reject icons. Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming. But why is our kind so characteristically obnoxious? its the same every year, year after year), it soon becomes familiar, and perhaps even boring for some. Wynona doesn't indicate why the parish priest has done this, but it would appear from the context that the priest objects to her marrying an . She is not the endshe is the way. Although she is in this world, she is not of this world (cf. Over coffee one day I asked an Orthodox priest whether I, as a Protestant theologian, might be considered a true Christian. Why didn't Henry VIII become Orthodox? - Paradox Interactive Forums Here are a few reasons from this man's personal reflection. Converting to Orthodoxy : r/OrthodoxChristianity Poland, 1 million A person can read a dozen books on swimming, but that which he or she has read will not come alive until he or she actually gets into a pool. Why People Convert to Orthodoxy Such a question cannot be answered through the use of dogmatic assertions or theoretical musings. I can remember, after Id been Orthodox a few years, developing an increasing sense of tension or frustration. The Eucharist, according to the Divine Liturgy of Saint Chrysostom (the normal liturgy for Sundays and weekdays), is "for the purification of the soul, for the remission of sins, for the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, [and] for the Kingdom of Heaven.". Two theological controversies drove the final wedge between Catholic and Orthodox Christians: papal supremacy and the so-called filioque controversy. Why did Vladimir convert to Orthodox Christianity? Put more starkly, Orthodoxy explicitly rejects the historic Protestant idea of sola scriptura. Forgetting early on that Orthodox worship is liturgical and cyclical (i.e. I had been to the east and discovered something wondrous that I assumed all Christians crave. Before long, in Reformation churches the sermon had replaced the Eucharist as the defining moment of the liturgy. In 1993, I was chrismated and joined the Eastern Orthodox Church. Despite efforts at reunification, to this day the Catholic and Orthodox churches remain estranged. But the impulse is to exaggerate the differences when you fear being hugged to death. Why are Young People Becoming Orthodox? Engage Orthodoxy Much like a divorce where numerous and complex problems fester for years and then coalesce around a single event, the defining moment for a distinctly Orthodox identity came with the Great Schism of 1054. And such a journey can only be spoken of from experience. Lol. As Saint Paul reminds us, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another [Romans 12:5; see also Ephesians 4:25]. Hope this helps, and hope that your journey to Orthodoxy is filled with every blessing. And while they are just beginning to recover, he says, Protestants invade, with all their Western resources, and attempt to draw away the very people the Russian Orthodox Church is attempting to nurture in the faith. Calvin objected to the "tyranny of human tradition which is haughtily thrust upon us under the title of the Church." Converts from Protestantism claim that Orthodoxy is strongest where evangelicals tend to be weak-its robust liturgical celebration of the majesty and mystery of God, its unyielding insistence on the indispensable role of tradition in theology, and its admirable heritage of perseverance amid terrible fires of persecution. Early on in the life of the Christian church, the Greek-speaking East and the Latin-speaking West began to diverge. At one level, I was close in heart and mind to my Orthodox sisters and brothers in Christ; but on another level, I agreed with many of my atheist friends' criticisms of Russian Orthodoxy. In 1993 I was chrismated and joined the Eastern Orthodox Church, but only lately has it dawned on me that I must have strained friendships over the years, due to my vocal enthusiasm for my adopted church. More than 70 percent of the roughly 75,000 Antiochian Orthodox Christians in the United States are converts. On June 16, 1054, Pope Leo IX's legate, Cardinal Humbert, delivered a Bull of Excommunication to the Orthodox Patriarch Michael Cerularius on the altar of the Church of the Holy Wisdom at Constantinople while the patriarch prepared to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, condemning him and his court. Why Convert to Orthodox Christianity? According to The Saga of Erik the Red, there were Christians among the people whom Erik the Red brought to Greenland to settle it in the late tenth century. Paganism was a mental mindset of the Eastern Slavs living in a world where a majority of the European countries surrounding them had already converted to a monastic religion. But perhaps our theology of the church is too "low," much lower than our Protestant forebears would have it. This is not just an explanation but an apology, and even an appreciation for the perseverance of friendship in the face of truly annoying behavior. The basic framework of services like the Divine Liturgy or Vespers doesnt change much, but every day of the liturgical year provides prayers for saints and feasts that can be added to that framework. It makes no appeal to a doctrine of transubstantiation and instead simply affirms the mystery. This book cover is made to order i, Hand-painted Icon of Christ the Pantocrator (acryl. As independent churches, they are not bound together by any unilateral or monarchical organization, nor do they owe allegiance to a single primacy, as Roman Catholics do to the pope. Yeah, I think Ive gotten it out of my system. The Orthodox Church has suffered throughout her history. However, this is a mistaken viewpoint and can lead to the destruction of a persons faith. Why would a Protestant Christian convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity? Persons wishing to become Orthodox of their own free volition, without any direct or indirect pressure from anyone, should firstly meet with a Priest of the Church. John A. Peck, The Apostolic Mission of Journey To Orthodoxy. Four important areas deserve ongoing dialogue. Orthodoxy insists tenaciously on the role of tradition which is her very life and builds upon its past, without revisions. July 2012 edited December 1969 in Coptic Orthodox Church As an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I am interested in finding out why all of you converts out there converted to the Coptic Orthodox Church, and not any one of the Eastern Orthodox Churches readily available in so many parts of the world. When you are the only Norse guy and most of your lands are Slovianskian, it makes more sense to convert yourself than to convert them. This has some truth to it, but is mostly false. Others are already involved in a Jewish community. Originally the creed read that the Holy Spirit proceeded "from the Father"; a later Western interpolation (why, where, and by whom are not known), ratified at the Council of Toledo (589), added filioque to indicate that the Spirit proceeded from the Father "and the Son." On these points evangelical and Orthodox thinking diverge in significant ways. It took awhile because I grasped it through hearing the hymns of the church year, week in and week out. Maybe you have to soak in it for years, till the evidence becomes overwhelming. Protestant Christianity," Andrei went on, "is a cheap, terrible substitute, and an Orthodox believer who knows his own faith will never go there.". For example, it is understandable that evangelicals feel that the Orthodox doctrine of the church is too "high." already I have lost many people I thought were friends but so be it! I've chosen Oriental Orthodoxy over the Byzantine Church because I believe that ours is closer in doctrine and liturgy to the earliest Christians. 1:4). Orthodoxy knows where she stands, and she is in no need to re-define herself. A wedding set o, Wedding Icon of Christ the Pantocrator (in Oklad /, A Handmade Bookcover For The Gospel. But Islam's conquest of this same area eventually isolated the Eastern Christians centered in Constantinople from their counterparts in the West centered in Rome. Kate Forbes Is Done (or Why an Orthodox Christian Can Never Lead a In 1523-24 the Reformers Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Luther donned the gown of the university scholar. But I slowly came to see that I cant communicate it. In Matthew 16:18, Christ speaks about building His church that "the gates of Hades will not prevail against". Different Orthodox theories exist as to what, exactly, this means. This absorbed my attention so much that I was apt to expound my current level of comprehension to anyone who stood still in my vicinity. Converting to Orthodox Judaism Is a Lot. Here's How 3 Women Did It. - ELLE But that cant be the case with me, so lets press on. Since then, Western and Eastern Christianity developed separately, under very different social and cultural conditions. Russia, 50-85 million Why are so many Christians in Colombia converting to Orthodox Judaism The late Orthodox theologian John Meyendorff once remarked that the ultimate conflict between the Orthodox East and the Latin West, both Catholic and Protestant, resided in two different ideas about tradition. Because their focus for years was on their theological education (which they may still be paying for) often they end up in a low wage job that they don't love. Clickhereto learn more about the deeds we are talking of and to learn how you can become a part of our social ministry and help those in need. Questions & Answers / Orthodox Christianity has a rich tradition of being mindful. Geoff Harvey on Thu, 20/11/2008 - 11:15am. Your email address will not be published. The first, most obvious explanation is that some people simply are obnoxious to start with. What are we to make, for example, of the Orthodox liturgy in Russia today, which is recited in ninth-century Slavonic, a language very few Russians even understand? In 999, Leif, the son of Erik, was converted to Christianity by Olaf Tryggvason. Everyone associates Orthodox worship with sensory richness, but its also rich in theological content. How to Become an Orthodox Christian? Playing as Rurik in 862: Convert to local religion or keep Norse Karmiris writes, "Scripture and Tradition are equally valid, possess equal dogmatic authority, and are equal in value as sources of dogmatic truth . July 26, 2019 By Fr. An Orthodox priest who lectured to standing-room-only crowds at Moscow State once described Orthodox theology to me as "music made in the conservatory," whereas he described Protestant theology as "music made in the honkytonk bars. This is not just an explanation but an apology, and even an appreciation for the perseverance of friendship in the face of truly annoying behaviour. Converts to Orthodoxy usually precede their decision with voluminous reading and research, so their friends must endure agitated lectures on church history, ancient heresies, and what words mean in Greek. Liberalism is not a word in the Orthodox vocabulary. Orthodoxy, in contrast, is a thoroughly aesthetic tradition, as attested by the central role played by icons. Vladimir I, a great prince of Kiev, reigned from 980 till 1015 and succeeded in the mass conversion of the Eastern Slavs.1 Throughout his reign Vladimir's agenda had . Photius then branded the entire Western church as heretical for inserting the phrase "and the Son" (filioque) into the Nicene Creed. As historians mostly suppose, Vladimir's turn to Orthodox Christianity was more about the improvement of Russians' connections with Christian states than about sentiments: for Rus, Byzantium.