Help choosing between orthodox catholic and lutheran

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Onifir

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the only three bodies in christianity that seem likely to be truth is catholicism orthodoxy and lutheranism. how do i find out wich is true?
 
If you are asking…then the Holy Spirit is working in you. “Butter” Him up with lots of prayers…intimate talks from your heart and intellect.

…Ask Him to lead you in Spirit and Truth…He will…and all you have to do is confess to Him that you will be submissive to His will…which is the Father’s will for you in Our Lord Jesus.

Don’t sweat the “submissive” stuff…he will also give you the grace to do His will. Oh, the Holy Spirit only has one place of residence…Heaven…and He only has one route to get there…Calvary…so don’t be surprised or alarmed about journey via Calvary…it is the only route the Holy Spirit knows…its the only way that Jesus provided for Him…so don’t expect a “road of roses”…it just won’t be that kind of “trip”!

Lastly, if you want a really quick answer…make a pilgrimage (anywhere even your local area)…to spend an hour in a Lutheran Church praying to the Holy Spirit…then an hour in a Greek Orthodox Chruch praying to the Holy Spirit…and then 15 minutes in the Catholic Church…preferably a Chapel with Eucharistic Adoration…praying to the Holy Spirit. You will get your answer…a clear one that will be in harmony with your conscience and your heart…The Holy Spirit won’t let you down.

Pax Christi
 
Cause that’s all it will take, seriously. And when you do decide to join the Church, please save yourself heart ache and trouble by finding a good parish that adheres to the true teachings and traditions. Seeking out a Latin Mass will most certainly ensure that.
 
The Eastern Orthodox didn’t exist until the 11th century, and Lutheranism didn’t exist until the 16th century. That should give you something to ponder as to which one is the true Church established by the big man himself in the first century 😃

David
 
dnu said:
The Eastern Orthodox didn’t exist until the 11th century, and Lutheranism didn’t exist until the 16th century. That should give you something to ponder as to which one is the true Church established by the big man himself in the first century 😃

David
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what a terribly misinformed person you are. 😉
 
KBernadette said:
Cause that’s all it will take, seriously. And when you do decide to join the Church, please save yourself heart ache and trouble by finding a good parish that adheres to the true teachings and traditions. Seeking out a Latin Mass will most certainly ensure that.
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It would probably be more advisable for a neophyte to attend a reverent English Ordinary Form Mass first. Who knows what schismatic ideas one may be exposed to at a traditionalist Mass from some parishioners.

Blessings
 
Onifir said:
the only three bodies in christianity that seem likely to be truth is catholicism orthodoxy and lutheranism. how do i find out wich is true?
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Well, as many other people have suggested, pray-as much and as often as you can and ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Unfortunately, I suspect this thread will slowly dissolve into an Orthodox vs. Catholic debate. Let me just say that in your original list, Lutheranism is the odd man out. Lutheranism does not have all seven sacraments, the Priesthood, and most especially the Eucharist. Both Catholics and Orthodox have Jesus, actually present, not a mere symbol, in the Eucharist. I am sure the Holy Spirit will lead you to either of these Communions, Orthodox or Catholic.

From there, try spending time in Prayer in each type of Church. Roman Catholic Churches will often have Our Lord Jesus exposed on the Altar, in a special way, during adoration. Just think, it’s Jesus right there, literally in front of you-what a sublime blessing:D

As you continue on your journey, you may find yourself drawn to the traditions and spirituality of the Eastern Churches. However, you can still be Catholic with those traditions-in that case, research some Eastern Catholic Churches. I would wait to do that, though, until you are further along in your journey.
May the Holy Spirit guide you and I will pray for you.
God Bless,
Pakesh
 
KBernadette said:
Cause that’s all it will take, seriously. And when you do decide to join the Church, please save yourself heart ache and trouble by finding a good parish that adheres to the true teachings and traditions. Seeking out a Latin Mass will most certainly ensure that.
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Tried that some years ago…I stayed right where I was.
 
Pakesh said:
Well, as many other people have suggested, pray-as much and as often as you can and ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Unfortunately, I suspect this thread will slowly dissolve into an Orthodox vs. Catholic debate. Let me just say that in your original list, Lutheranism is the odd man out. Lutheranism does not have all seven sacraments, the Priesthood, and most especially the Eucharist. Both Catholics and Orthodox have Jesus, actually present, not a mere symbol, in the Eucharist. I am sure the Holy Spirit will lead you to either of these Communions, Orthodox or Catholic.

— and again we have someone who lumps all protestants in the “don’t believe in the real presence heap.”
Pakesh
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Onifir said:
the only three bodies in christianity that seem likely to be truth is catholicism orthodoxy and lutheranism. how do i find out wich is true?
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Start by understanding who and what Martin Luther was: a Catholic parish priest, not even the pastor, who noticed some problems, listed them, then broke his vows of both obedience and celibacy, walked away, seduced a nun away from her vows, and lived, unmarried, with her (no civil marriage was possible at the time without a church wedding). He then, in remote collaboration with Zwingley, developed a new theology whole cloth, specifically by ignoring (and decrying) 6 books of scripture, and willingly embracing both heresy and schism.

The Lutheran Church, established by Zwingley, adopts Luther’s name (over his objections) because it’s based in his theological revisions, but it goes beyond them. Further, they do not have ordained bishops, and thus no apostolic succession in the sense that the 3rd century Church had… No valid prieshood, either, because of same.

As for Catholic and Orthodox, it boils down to the role of the successor of Peter… and the study of eccesiology… for most of the difference is ecclesiological, and the vast majority of the rest is merely terminology.
 
:)If you are interested in belonging to the “One True Church” then it would naturally be The Catholic Church! This is the church Our Lord started, when He said to Peter, “Upon this rock, I will build my church”. The Apostle, Peter was the first Pope. Pope Benedict XVl is, I believe the 264th Pope to sit in the chair of St. Peter.
The Holy Catholic Church is the original church, being over 2000 years in existance. The Lutheran church has only been around for about 500 years. Martin Luther excommunicated himself…he was a priest. He ended up marrying a Nun and had a pretty large family.
You might want Google The Reformation, or History of the Catholic Church. I don’t know anything about Orthodoxy, except that it hasn’t been around as long as the Catholic Church.
Instead of spending so many minuets in each church. I suggest attending a Service/Mass in each Church. Go more than once. Find out where you feel most comfortable and where you feel the Spirit is leading you… ask to make an appointment with the Priest or Pastor, if you feel so inclined…and yes, PRAY.👍
 
Start with history as someone already pointed out. The Early Church Fathers (many of their writings are available here or elsewhere online) had a fear of schism and give us a good picture of the development of the Church prior to any of the modern divisions. The question between Orthodox and Catholic (I would take a moment to point out that there are Eastern Rites in communion with the Catholic Church) is a difficult one for some one approaching from outside.

The historical disputes center around the role of the Papacy, the Catholic Church advancing a broader interpretation of primacy. The filioque and the Immaculate Conception issues both, it seems, have as much to do with primacy as with theological disputes.

Beyond that there are different “styles” to each of the Churches, notably the Roman compared to Eastern Catholic/Orthodox. The Roman Church is significantly more legalistic, a distinction more pronounced by the endorsement of Scholasticism as the quasi-official philosophy of the Western Church. The Eastern Rites retain a more monastic, mystical quality in their theology and liturgy.

And yes, I am writing from the Latin Catholic viewpoint, but I mean no disrespect to the Oriental or Occidental, Orthodox or Catholic Churches.
 
dnu said:
The Eastern Orthodox didn’t exist until the 11th century, and Lutheranism didn’t exist until the 16th century. That should give you something to ponder as to which one is the true Church established by the big man himself in the first century 😃

David
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Where do you dream this stuff up from? Are you smoking the wacky weed? The Eastern Orthodox are every bit as old as the RCC. Might help to put away the bong and read a bit of history.🙂

The Catholic and Orthodox churches were once ONE church.
 
Onifir said:
the only three bodies in christianity that seem likely to be truth is catholicism orthodoxy and lutheranism. how do i find out wich is true?
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I narrowly chose the Catholic church about 8 years ago, to be honest:o I see very little difference between them and being that they are nearly in full communion…I rest my case:) however the Lutheran church as I may point out is a protestant church and is quite different in regards to Christian theology.
 
mardukm;:
It would probably be more advisable for a neophyte to attend a reverent English Ordinary Form Mass first. Who knows what schismatic ideas one may be exposed to at a traditionalist Mass from some parishioners.

Blessings
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Good luck finding that reverent OF Mass. And even if you do there’s no telling what kind of schismatic ideas you might get from the parishoners there. In fact I know of 2 reverent OF Masses in my diocese and know for fact that homosexuality, birth control, and women’s ordination are frequently supported within the congregation and even the Clergy! That and you’ll often hear that there’s no need to convert because we’re all Christians!

In any case, a Parish with the Tabernacle front and center and reverenced anytime it’s aproached is a safe bet. It contains God afterall.
[Tried that some years ago…I stayed right where I was.
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Try try again, I say. If you are truly seeking Christ you will one day be Catholic.
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I don’t know what kind of responses you are expecting to get on a “Catholic” forum and I don’t know the forum rules by heart, so hopefully I am not violating any in saying this, so if so please gently correct me rather than ban me.

We Orthodox know and proclaim that we are the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of the Creed, without revision of alteration of the original Christian Church. We believe that what is today known as the Roman Catholic Church was created gradually as being distinct from Holy Orthodoxy, and that the West eventually fell into heresies regarding especially the filioque and their innovative ecclesiology. Of course I cannot defend this ecclesiology on here because many years ago there was a clandestine purging of all of the Orthodox members on here because too many Roman Catholics were converting to Holy Orthodoxy, which sees itself as the real Catholic Church, and the Latin one to be an impostor.

I do not say any of this to be offensive or to violate any forum rules. If I have done so, please forgive me! I’m just trying to give our side o the story to this searching soul, and he asked about Orthodoxy. I agree about attending services at each one and praying, although I obviously think the outcome will be different than others have stated. If you do attend an Orthodox church, try to go to one with English services.
 
What Alveus is leaving out is that the majority of the Eastern Orthodox Churches have accepted (and signed off on that) that the filioque is NOT heretical, merely problematic in some languages.
 
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