M
Mystophilus
Guest
My (outside) impression is that Orthodoxy is a lot slower and a lot more rigorous about such things as the catechumenate, and that one ought to be much more serious about taking that on.
- Status
C
Cavaradossi
Guest
The answer is deceptively simple. You should become one or the other only if you believe that the scriptures are true, and that the teachings found in the writings of the Holy Fathers and in the definitions of the first seven ecumenical councils lead to the correct interpretation of the scriptures. You should become Orthodox only if you believe that later Orthodox synods have taught the truth. You should likewise be under the Pope only if you believe the totality of the papal claims, papal teachings, and post-schism Western conciliar teachings to be true.
R
Renarax
Guest
Thanks everyone. For now I’ve decided to stick with the Catholics, but I don’t know what will happen in the future. I still have lots of time to decide. And no . . . I don’t think that about protestants anymore
If you can, please answer my other questions too. It’s on the evangelizing section
If you can, please answer my other questions too. It’s on the evangelizing section
C
Casilda
Guest
Told point blank by an Orthodox priest.
A
adawgj
Guest
A happy middle would be Byzantine Catholic. 
F
fhansen
Guest
The CC also teaches that we are “called to fulfillment of gods image in ourselves.” The Orthodox call it theosis whereas Catholics call it divinization.
Q
QNDNNDQDCE
Guest
You should probably seek a greater acquaintance with the Greek and Latin traditions of the Church before you settle on the conclusion that Catholics don’t believe in the image of God.
R
recentrevert
Guest
Whether or not you decide to become a Catholic or not is a matter of your salvation or eternal damnation. You should seek God with your whole heart, praying and avoiding all sin. It is a matter of which religion is true, nothing else.
R
Randy_Carson
Guest
Your experience seems to confirm what many others have said in these forums about EO’s strong, negative feelings about Catholicism.
When I dare to point out this antipathy, expressions of surprise, outright denials, and loud condemnations of me personally follow swiftly.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
R
Randy_Carson
Guest
Proving me right once more. That didn’t take long. 
R
Randy_Carson
Guest
Both parts of this statement are true.
But let’s not get too far afield: Casilda reported that an Orthodox priest told her that being anti-Catholic was part and parcel of Orthodoxy, and it seems to be a common experience.
This is not something that one would typically hear from a Catholic priest because Catholics do not feel threatened by the existence of other patriarchs.
Probably no stranger than anyone else; it all depends on where you’re from and what you’re used to.
The first half of this statement is largely true. The second half simply proves my point; yes, “parts” of Catholicism are ethnically based, but these are just that - “parts” of a much larger whole. Thus, the ethnic groups of Catholicism are analogous to the “eyes” or “ears” of the body which is much greater than the sum of those parts.
But let’s not get too far afield: Casilda reported that an Orthodox priest told her that being anti-Catholic was part and parcel of Orthodoxy, and it seems to be a common experience.
This is not something that one would typically hear from a Catholic priest because Catholics do not feel threatened by the existence of other patriarchs.
C
Cavaradossi
Guest
In the effort of being fair to the priest, whose words have not actually reproduced here, what did he actually say? It is true that one must reject certain doctrinal positions when entering Orthodoxy (such as the Filioque), but this is hardly anti-Catholic, just as rejecting Sola Scriptura or TULIP is not anti-Lutheran or anti-Calvinist in the normal sense of these words, which connote a type of irrational bigotry against the group in question. If he suggested merely that you would have to condemn certain doctrinal propositions, then it is completely true that one must do this (by the general pattern for accepting converts from heterodoxy, established by canon 95 of Trullo). If he suggested though that one must have an irrational hatred of the Latin church, the people in it, or of all her customs, then that is clearly false, because our canons and ecclesiastical decrees concern only specific points of doctrine or discipline and nowhere command that one should display an irrational hatred of the heterodox.
C
Cavaradossi
Guest
Except that it is not true. In the old world (where most Orthodox Christians exist), it is based on geography. It is precisely not ethnic in this sense, because (to give a specific example) the Greeks may not create a Greek church with Greek hierarchs for Greeks in Russia (that would be phyletism). They may create agreements with the local bishops to help minister to Greeks living in Russia more effectively in their mother tongue (by providing Greek-speaking priests or other accommodations), but only under the aegis of the local bishop. Autocephalous churches have traditionally been created along national or provincial but not ethnic lines. The Church of Cyprus (one of the oldest autocephalous churches) for example, is independent of the Church of Greece, even though both serve primarily Greeks. Conversely, we see that there is a Church of Greece, but no Arvanitic Church (the Arvanites being an ethnic group in Greece which speaks the dialect of Albanian, Arvanitika).
The only place where this is conceivably true is in the diaspora, but that is because of the poor and uncoordinated way in which ministering to the diaspora was carried out. The problem now is rather complex, but in general, it has proved difficult to solve because it is much harder to consolidate overlapping jurisdictions than it was to create them.
H
howirenic
Guest
Glad you decided to stay Catholic.
Please don’t take offense, but it sounded like you needed to do more research before you could honestly make a decision to become Orthodox.
I’m fine with Eastern Catholics calling themselves “Orthodox in Communion with Rome,” but just know that the Orthodox do not consider Eastern Catholics a part of their communion. They consider them a part of the Roman Catholic Church, which comprises 22 self-governing Churches (including Eastern Churches, not “rites”).
The Eastern Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox are separate communions comprised of their own churches.
I encourage you to continue to explore Eastern Christianity in time. For now, keep up a healthy prayer life and pray for me that I may do the same.
Please don’t take offense, but it sounded like you needed to do more research before you could honestly make a decision to become Orthodox.
I’m fine with Eastern Catholics calling themselves “Orthodox in Communion with Rome,” but just know that the Orthodox do not consider Eastern Catholics a part of their communion. They consider them a part of the Roman Catholic Church, which comprises 22 self-governing Churches (including Eastern Churches, not “rites”).
The Eastern Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox are separate communions comprised of their own churches.
I encourage you to continue to explore Eastern Christianity in time. For now, keep up a healthy prayer life and pray for me that I may do the same.
W
wynd
Guest
Don’t you get it? All Orthodox are filled to the brim with irrational bigotry against all things Catholic. It’s just what happens when you sign up; it’s not possible to be an un-bigoted Orthodox. Maybe you missed that part of the Chrismation service…
S
SyroMalankara
Guest
Oh… that’s what was being said in liturgical Syriac at my cousin’s priestly ordination - the anti-Catholic rant…
kiddin
N
Nine_Two
Guest
I’ve seen some Catholics define “anti-Catholicism” as not listening to the Pope. Ever since then I’ve always taken anyone claiming it with a grain of salt, especially when you have Catholics like Randy preaching anti-Orthodox rhetoric to applause.
H
House_Harkonnen
Guest
After I left the RCC I decided to spend some time with the Orthodox. I spent about 6 months attending a ROCOR parish.
I had to answer the question “am I drawn to Orthodoxy because I think its absolutely the truest form of Christianity, or am I drawn to it because I think its pretty?”
6 months later I still couldn’t definitively answer that question.
W
wynd
Guest
Pretty much. “I’m going to lob these loaded rhetorical bombs and call you hateful if you disagree with any of it.” Reminds me of political discourse in the US these days.
N
Nine_Two
Guest
By no means do all, or even most Catholics seem to support Randy, but when there are always a few replying to his fallacies with “Well said” or telling him not to let the “hate” from those who disagree get to him. Hasn’t happened this thread yet though, which is a good thing.
- Status