A mostly good post. However, it assumes that the pope is “the final authority” (whatever that’s defined as). If one starts with that assumption it will no doubt lead to the RCC. I’d take a step back and question the first statement as well.
It’s just as good a place to start as anyplace else since the beginning of any seeker’s inquiry is usually intellectual. In the case of an inquirer who is interested in comparing the Catholic Church with Holy Orthodoxy just for comparison’s sake, then reading books, pamphlets, and blogs and discussing tenets on Internet forums is the most logical approach. But if you’re interested in the life application then my suggestion is that you spend some time in earnest prayer asking the LORD for guidance and then attend a Mass and experience a Divine Liturgy, following which you will be able to decide either for Catholicism or for Orthodoxy. After you’ve made your decision contact the priest and tell him that you’re interested in learning more. Father will guide you from there.
Wynd,
Hi Julian,
I think that you are confusing wynd with the person that started the thread. Wynd already is Orthodox. Seeker987 is searching.
Will somebody be good enough to tell me what EO stands for? I learned what LDS, and JW mean, but when it comes to Christian denominations, abbreviations really are a puzzle bound to remain unsolved if no one informs me of their meanings. Thanks and God bless you1
Thanks, Mick. God bless you and your family.Eastern Orthodox.
Cordially,
Mick
How very kind you are. And may God grant you and those close to you many years.SSTeacher;6406474:
Thanks, Mick. God bless you and your family.Eastern Orthodox.
Cordially,
Mick
As I understand it, the EOC is not locked into any one way of understanding the atonement. Ransom is one possible theory, as is theosis, as is substitution (not necessarily penal substitution, though), and even the Christus Victor theory is considered. Most Orthodox will tell you that it’s more important to know that Jesus atoned for our sins than it is to know how it was done.
I agree. One of the first books I read when I began seriously to explore Orthodoxy was Orthodoxy for the Non-Orthodox by John Garvey. I quickly discovered that Father Garvey rejected the “tired polemic” so ubiquitous in Western Christendom and I must admit that the discovery prompted me to feel a little disappointed. And when I subsequently came to realise that Orthodoxy involved embracing mystery and that I was expected to resist the frantic urge to nail everything down and live with unanswered questions I was even more dismayed. But I stuck with it and eventually became a catechumen. During my catechumenate I’ve slowly learned to reject the either/or in favor of the both/and and I’ve made a sustained effort to grow into the peacefulness of Orthodoxy. Now, with just over a fortnight to go before I am chrismated, I can truthfully declare that polemics no longer hold the attraction for me that they once did and, moreover, that I’m glad of it.
I could have written this about myself. Well said.
We are kindred spirits, then. May the peace of the LORD be with you always.
That is an excellent point. All of the so called “atonement theories” are nothing more than illustrative metaphors. They cannot and were never intended to define the very nature of our salvation. That is far beyond our human understanding.