Catholic converts to Orthodox

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Anyone here who converted from RCC to the Orthodox Church? I’m wondering what were your reasons for doing so and how has it changed your life?
 
No. Never advisable to jump ship. No need to ever do so. We have everything we need, here.

I am aware that a well-known composer who made lovely music did so. Sadly.
 
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bmaz said:
Anyone here who converted from RCC to the Orthodox Church? I’m wondering what were your reasons for doing so and how has it changed your life?
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You might want to look up Rod Dreher. He’s a famous case.

As for reasons, the ones I’ve seen usually come down to two things:
  1. They prefer the Orthodox Liturgy.
  2. They find the Catholic Church too “liberal”, especially on LGBT issues.
A third reason that I have encountered once or twice is that they are divorced and remarried.
 
A fourth reason would be that they recognize the Orthodox Church as the true Church of Christ - in all fairness.
 
FollowChrist34 said:
A fourth reason would be that they recognize the Orthodox Church as the true Church of Christ - in all fairness.
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True, though that is more of a conclusion they come to rather than an actual reason. Effect more than cause.
 
If a part of the Church schisms, then that part is no longer Orthodox, because the RCC, is orthodox.
 
Agreed, but a lot of Catholics have kind of a weird yet very profound authentic attachment to ‘Eastern sprituality’ ‘their other lung’. They talk like Adam missing his rib/home.
 
FollowChrist34 said:
Agreed, but a lot of Catholics have kind of a weird yet very profound authentic attachment to ‘Eastern sprituality’ ‘their other lung’.
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I have profound respect for our Orthodox brothers, and cherish their history and tradition, but it would take a lot more than that for me to leave one “lung” to go to the other. I guess it’s possible to convert for reasons that do not include some form of rejection of or, at least, dissatisfaction with the RCC, but I’m not sure if it occurs that often. Curious if any other posters will have a story like that.
 
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Yes, I agree. For whatever reason, God does seem to allow souls to be born and raised in a wide variety of conditions: Catholic/Orthodox/Protestant/atheist/Buddhist/Jewish, since the beginning of humanity, too. Both Catholics and Orthodox refuse to categorically state that all those in the other camp are condemned. Many on both sides seem to abide by the idea that you just stay where you are and take your chances on judgment day. This can go national, right, Irish/Polish/Russian/Greek. This comes from history. An Orthodox would never go on a mission to Ireland or Italy and I can’t imagine a Catholic on a mission to Russia or Greece. But I also believe God calls souls to Him through grace; we walk the path in Christ according to his will. Both sides also find the other to be heterodox, when pushed anyway. It is what it is. A mystery to be respected as a mystery. As long we don’t unify I am fine. :hugs:😍 Leave it with Christ. Amen.
 
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AndrewAxland said:
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bmaz:
Anyone here who converted from RCC to the Orthodox Church? I’m wondering what were your reasons for doing so and how has it changed your life?
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You might want to look up Rod Dreher. He’s a famous case.

As for reasons, the ones I’ve seen usually come down to two things:
  1. They prefer the Orthodox Liturgy.
  2. They find the Catholic Church too “liberal”, especially on LGBT issues.
A third reason that I have encountered once or twice is that they are divorced and remarried.
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Yet, Here’s what scripture and tradition says about schism

Scripture:
Tradition:
  • there is no dismissal of consequences for one’s soul, who chooses schism. They need to return to the Catholic Church.
From Vat II paragraph 14, Lumen Gentium

"Basing itself upon Sacred Scripture and Tradition, it teaches that the Church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism(124) and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church. Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved

Going back to a first century bishop on the subject of schism
St Ignatius Bp of Antioch, ~69 a.d. - ~107 a.d., ordained by apostles, disciple of St John the apostle, called the Church the Catholic Church Epistle to the Smyrnæans ch 8 of which schismatics won’t be going to heaven Epistle to the Philadelphians ch 3
 
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AndrewAxland said:
That’s a very dishonest misrepresentation and distortion of Church teachings on the Orthodox, and totally contrary to Church teaching. Lumen gentium does not say what you want it to say. At all.
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Says who? Show me a Church document properly referenced, that permits a Catholic to become an Eastern Orthodox of some type, with no consequences to them.
 
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If your idea for converting to Orthodox involves Pope Francis at all, it is a stupid idea. His one mistake was becoming Pope in 2013, and becoming the chief Pastor over a world where right wing nationalists think that if you don’t tweet like Donald Trump you don’t care about issues.

“Who am I to judge”, yes he’s right. God already judged it’s wrong, it’s obvious what church teachings are on homosexual acts. It’s obvious what church teachings are on procreation. Now there are some other topics he’d like to discuss.
 
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Look in the “East and West” forums on byzcath.org for a variety of threads from those who have traversed in both directions.

Do note before posting there, though, that a great many of the comments below would result in suspensions or bans over there–there is no tolerance for lecturing, condemnation, nor proselytizing from one side or other of the tragic schism that still divides the Church.

hawk
 
No, Francis isn’t involved in my questioning. I’ve thought for awhile about these two churches and knowing one is the truth, the other is close to the truth, or perhaps the merging of them will be the truth, but they need to get past a few hurdles. What actually started me wondering was during a 5 year period I was having difficulty believing some of the marian apparitions are actually happening, or believing it is actually Mary appearing. Then it went from there to other issues. So, right now, I’m just investigating. I’ll either decide I’m in the right place, or decide I’m not. If these churches merge back into one before I make up my mind, I would be thrilled. I suppose it will take a crisis of Biblical proportions for that to happen. It will happen one day, I believe.
 
I was Roman Catholic and am now in the Orthodox Church. A lot of the superstitious things surrounding RCC apparitions did always bother me and I used the freedom that they say you have to not believe them personally to overlook it. Now in the Orthodox Church there is no such feeling of tension with what many other Orthodox members believe. I felt as I grew in faith while in the RCC, the further I felt from what was going on in the RCC. It is the opposite in the Orthodox Church. They maintain the same faith as the early Church Fathers. You can read a spiritual book or commentary on scripture from the 4th or 5th century and pick up a book from the 20th or 21st century and they are harmonious. The same cannot be said about RCC literature. What really led us out was that the Sacraments are not being administered the way they use to be. Especially visible in how they divide the Sacraments of initiation to young ones, purely to try to keep them from not returning to church. Also the clear manner in which the Orthodox Church teaches the purpose of the Incarnation is missing in my opinion in Latin RCCs. There are many things, but these were some of the things that initially led us out of the RCC.
 
pacloc said:
Especially visible in how they divide the Sacraments of initiation to young ones, purely to try to keep them from not returning to church.
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??? Can you clarify what you mean here? I’m a bit confused. Do you mean they separate them to keep them from leaving the church early on?
pacloc said:
Also the clear manner in which the Orthodox Church teaches the purpose of the Incarnation is missing in my opinion in Latin RCCs.
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This is definitely something I’ve noticed as well. I enjoy the Eastern theology behind the Incarnation as well.
 
This should be on the CAF rules too:
Again, please note that The Byzantine Forum is an on-line meeting place for Christians especially focusing on Byzantine and Eastern Christianity (both Catholic and Orthodox). As you discuss your faith please remember that those visiting the Byzantine Forum who do not share our faith in Christ will form an opinion of Byzantine Christianity based upon what YOU post.
(from the site you gave)
 
Angel_Gabriel said:
??? Can you clarify what you mean here? I’m a bit confused. Do you mean they separate them to keep them from leaving the church early on?
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Yes. I thought the sentence didn’t sound right myself. What I mean is that from the RCC side, the only reason they wait until high school for confirmation is so that they kind of force parents to keep their kids involved in the Church if they want them to be confirmed. It is like holding confirmation hostage in fear that if they confirmed infants, no one would continue going to church afterward. I’ve heard youth teachers say they think that it is great that they do this because otherwise they would be out of a job because no one would be going to youth classes. Having 3 young ones under 5, I really wanted my children to have the benefit of the sacraments of Holy Chrismation (Confirmation) and Holy Eucharist from infancy to help grow spiritually just as fleshly food will help them grow physically. And if the gift of Chrismation is needed to live a Christian life, how would it make sense for my children to go through middle school, which I think was when I went in a downward path, without this gift? That on top of the fact that they purposely do not do a triple immersion for baptism even though that was the method that all Christians did from the beginning symbolizing our sharing in Christ’s death 3 days in the tomb, water being similar to earth.
 
Ah, yes that makes more sense. I agree. I don’t know any other reason why they space out those Sacraments as far as they do…it seems that they do fear that people just won’t go to Church.

Can I ask you why you didn’t consider Eastern Catholicism? I ask b/c I’ve often thought about just becoming Orthodox and leaving the “odd” world of Eastern Catholicism behind. Of course I don’t want to go into an “our of the frying pan into the fire” situation so I’m weighing my options carefully.
 
They find the Catholic Church too “liberal”, especially on LGBT issues.
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That’s a BIG LOL.

Catholic Church too liberal on LGBT issues? 😂
 
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