Is this wrong?

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scapularkid8

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That I’ve honestly become saddened and confused about whether or not God is calling me to become Orthodox? Is it wrong to explore Orthodoxy and contrast it to Catholicism?

It seems that from the small amount of reading I’ve done on the Great Schism, the Pope was acting quite…“independently” from the rest of the Patriarchs. The Ignatius incident also made me question why on Earth the Pope would attempt to assert power over the East, the West is logical, but I’m just confused as to where the Pope’s claims come from stating that Peter’s place was the highest in a monarchy as opposed to a first among equals in a college?🤷 :confused:
 
scapularkid8 said:
That I’ve honestly become saddened and confused about whether or not God is calling me to become Orthodox? Is it wrong to explore Orthodoxy and contrast it to Catholicism?

It seems that from the small amount of reading I’ve done on the Great Schism, the Pope was acting quite…“independently” from the rest of the Patriarchs. The Ignatius incident also made me question why on Earth the Pope would attempt to assert power over the East, the West is logical, but I’m just confused as to where the Pope’s claims come from stating that Peter’s place was the highest in a monarchy as opposed to a first among equals in a college?🤷 :confused:
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Why would it be wrong?
 
Although I’m not catholic I don’t think you will do any harm in an honest inquiry. I’ve learned many things about other churches and in doing so I better understand others and my own beliefs.
 
scapularkid8 said:
That I’ve honestly become saddened and confused about whether or not God is calling me to become Orthodox? Is it wrong to explore Orthodoxy and contrast it to Catholicism?

It seems that from the small amount of reading I’ve done on the Great Schism, the Pope was acting quite…“independently” from the rest of the Patriarchs. The Ignatius incident also made me question why on Earth the Pope would attempt to assert power over the East, the West is logical, but I’m just confused as to where the Pope’s claims come from stating that Peter’s place was the highest in a monarchy as opposed to a first among equals in a college?🤷 :confused:
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Why not explore the Eastern Catholic options? You may find this recent news article interesting:

cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=59186
 
If they are equal, how is one first?

Anyway, to me it is not “wrong” but it is not “right” either. You would not be leaving the access to sacraments. I am not sure that I can explain it.

Have you been reading balanced sources? The tone of your post leads me to think that you are looking at EO sources primarily.
 
I’ve actually looked at one Orthodox source and I’m on an Anglican source from 2001 (of all sources 😃 , I figured it would be mostly an outsider looking in).

I’ll try after this book I’m on to look at a Roman Catholic position and then probably an Eastern Catholic position as well. I also want to find some academic works about the political, economic, and social climates of the time to see what may have contributed to the Schism. I’m willing to research though if I’m looking for the full Truth 👍
 
scapularkid8 said:
That I’ve honestly become saddened and confused about whether or not God is calling me to become Orthodox? Is it wrong to explore Orthodoxy and contrast it to Catholicism?
🤷 :confused:
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What makes you think God may be calling you to be Orthodox?
 
I see that you are 18. This is a very good age to be trying to find God’s will for your life. Stay close to Him, daily mass if possible, bible reading, and time before Him in the Eucharist.
 
I wrestled with that very thing during my conversion process. A small part of what made the decision for me was that there are NO Orthodox (or even Eastern Catholic) Churches in my area. But more importantly, I read a book called Jesus, Peter and the Keys: A Scriptural Handbook on the Papacy. It’s not light reading, for sure, but it is worth the effort!

Description:
Deeply rooted in Scripture, Jesus, Peter and the Keys will increase your understanding in an area of faith that still divides many Christians: The role of the Papacy. This is the first and only book that proves, without doubt, that the Papacy was designed by Jesus and is being carried out as He intended. This landmark work brings together information from Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox sources to give readers of all Christian faiths a clear understanding of the office of St. Peter and his successors. The authors do an excellent job of examining scriptural evidence and historical data and present their case in easy-to-understand terms both scholars and layman can enjoy. Also has an Imprimatur.
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Claire_from_DE said:
What makes you think God may be calling you to be Orthodox?
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I guess at the beginning it was just the “smells and bells”, but after research (the very little I have done, I will do more) it seemed, to my honest horror, that Rome was possibly in error. It also saddens me as a Christian that the Catholic and Orthodox Churches cannot just be reunited, or work a little harder at least.

(Please, I don’t want this to become an apologetics thread on the Schism or dogma of Orthodoxy, just an exploration of my personal and spiritual encounters with Eastern Christianity because I believe this is an issue worthy of my attention at this point in my life.)
 
Eden said:
Why not explore the Eastern Catholic options?
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Eastern Catholics and Orthodox are not the same thing.
scapularkid8 said:
(Please, I don’t want this to become an apologetics thread on the Schism or dogma of Orthodoxy, just an exploration of my personal and spiritual encounters with Eastern Christianity because I believe this is an issue worthy of my attention at this point in my life.)
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I would recommend you talk to an Orthodox priest about it. It would be better than reading on the internet.
 
scapularkid8 said:
That I’ve honestly become saddened and confused about whether or not God is calling me to become Orthodox? Is it wrong to explore Orthodoxy and contrast it to Catholicism?

It
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your intellectual understanding of the theology and history behind the split in the Church notwithstanding, God is calling you to the Church founded by Jesus Christ His Son, and Jesus called for unity within that Church, so God is not calling you to any part of the Church that is currently out of union with Her. The question is one of who has authority on earth from Christ, not the intellectual process of the individual.
 
I guess one question to ask is if a ‘college system’ of religious authority actually works.
Another is if there is evidence for Christ founding a ‘collegial church’ with ‘collegial authority’.
Another idea may be to study the Pre incarnation Jewish church and examine the primacy of the ‘high priest’ of Jerusalem.
I wish you well on your journies.
May the one God of both the East and West be with you.
 
You might want to read The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware and take a look at The Orthodox Way by Kallistos Ware.

They are written by the same person. It’s just that The Orthodox Church is still published under the name Timothy Ware - Bishop Kallistos Ware’s given name.

If you have to choose between the two books - read The Orthodox Church first.

Also read the pp suggestion - Jesus, Peter and the Keys: A Scriptural Handbook on the Papacy.

I was Orthodox for 28 years and now I am Catholic. I do not want to get into a long discussion about this - but, look into both sides before you make a decision.

God bless you on your journey.
 
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