Orthodoxy? Catholic? Or stay where I am?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Eruvande
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Eruvande said:
Thank you so much everyone for your civil, helpful and informative replies. I hadn’t noticed the warning about Catholic/Orthodox threads before I posted, so was a little nervous when I came back and did notice it, that this thread would go the way of all flesh!! But you have been so kind and thoughtful in your replies, I am truly glad I did post.

I’m going to mass on Saturday, as it is closer, with my husband’s help. Getting to an Orthodox service is more of a challenge for me, as it is many, many miles away and infrequent. It may yet come down to something as simple as geography!
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Nothing wrong with being practical. 🙂

To be honest, I initially became Catholic primarily for similar reasons. Out of the six years I was Orthodox, I spent about three of them traveling an hour or more each way to get to services, and often stood through long homilies and announcements said in a language I didn’t understand. I do not know why I didn’t consider the Catholic Church earlier. Now that I am Catholic, I feel far more at home, and yet still retain some of my eastern practices and prayers. Anyway, I attend a wonderful little rural parish which reverently celebrates the New Mass, but I plan to attend the Divine Liturgy at an Eastern Rite Catholic parish whenever I visit the city. Perhaps this is something you would be content doing, too? All the best. 🙂
 
Eruvande said:
I am really conflicted right now between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Both seem wonderful, but I am finding the differences quite a challenge to understand. I love the Orthodox emphasis on the love of God. Both facets of the Faith have affection for the Mother of God, but I love the Catholic Rosary. I can’t easily get to either a Divine Liturgy or a Mass, so that’s kind of a bind. I’m also not entirely convinced by papal supremacy, even though I have really liked the past three popes.

Oh, I’m just so confused. My protestant friends think I’m out of my mind anyway to be looking seriously at either, and I know no Catholics or Orthodox in real life. The internet and the telly go so far, but I know I need to take further steps and really am conflicted because Orthodoxy and Catholicism, for all their similarities, are also at odds with each other.

I’m going to my Anglican church with my family at the moment and will continue with that until I get the opportunity to do something else (I am disabled and held back from many things) I’ve probably said this before, but I feel a bit like the man Jesus asked ‘Do you want to be healed?’ I want to follow God where He leads me, and feel He has led me to the precipice and I’m not certain at all which direction to take.

Sorry to be boring, I know I have been wrestling with this for a long time, thank you for your patience in reading this.
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I was in a similar situation not long ago. The final deciding factor for me was the Gospel.
 
Koineman said:
I was in a similar situation not long ago. The final deciding factor for me was the Gospel.
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I think your spending too much time on the Internet – dare I say, confusing Catholicism with nettholicism. (Or should that be Webtholicism? Whatever. :))
 
Koineman said:
Huh? 🤷
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Thanks for asking. :cool: Your prior post
Koineman said:
I was in a similar situation not long ago. The final deciding factor for me was the Gospel.
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doesn’t recognize that Catholicism is all about the Gospel. My hypothesis from this (granted I could be wrong) is that rather than a non-stereotypical view of the Catholic Church, you going on impressions you’ve gotten from the internet.

Just saying. :o

(Or in trendier language, The Catholic Church is not a dotcom.)
 
Peter_J said:
Thanks for asking. :cool: Your prior post

doesn’t recognize that Catholicism is all about the Gospel.
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Incorrect. My point was that I did not find the Gospel in Catholicism.
My hypothesis from this (granted I could be wrong) is that rather than a non-stereotypical view of the Catholic Church, you going on impressions you’ve gotten from the internet.
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Incorrect again. I went on my reading of Catholic sources, including the Council of Trent.

If past experience serves me right, your next reply will likely be some assertion that I didn’t really understand Catholic teaching. If that is what you plan to say, please spare me. I’m not interested in playing that game.

Of course, you may surprise me by not stooping to such a baseless assertion, in which case we might talk. 🙂
 
Koineman said:
Incorrect. My point was that I did not find the Gospel in Catholicism.

Incorrect again. I went on my reading of Catholic sources, including the Council of Trent.
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Well then, obviously, you didn’t underst- Oh bother. 😊
Koineman said:
If past experience serves me right, your next reply will likely be some assertion that I didn’t really understand Catholic teaching. If that is what you plan to say, please spare me. I’m not interested in playing that game.

Of course, you may surprise me by not stooping to such a baseless assertion, in which case we might talk. 🙂
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It really sounds like you’ve had a healthy dose of internet “dialogue” (or maybe some IRL venue that re-enacts that stuff the happens on internet forums and blogs). Granted, that’s pretty similar to what I said last post, but well I’m just being honest. :getholy:
 
Koineman said:
By making works “done in God” to merit eternal life.
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Are you making the assertion here that what Catholicism teaches is Pelagianism?

I’m not Catholic, so I’m not taking a defensive posture here. I am just curious as to how and why you are equating “the Gospel” with justification by faith (which I can only assume you’re getting at with respect to saying that Catholicism teaches works merit eternal life, therefore, Catholicism doesn’t teach the Gospel).
 
Peter_J said:
Well then, obviously, you didn’t underst- Oh bother. 😊

It really sounds like you’ve had a healthy dose of internet “dialogue” (or maybe some IRL version that re-enacts that stuff that happens on internet forums and blogs). Granted, that’s pretty similar to what I said last post, but well I’m just being honest. :getholy:
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Wow, really? After I just told you I consulted Catholic sources? Quite obviously this will go nowhere.

May God bless you.
 
Koineman said:
No. I’m not even sure how you got that from what I wrote.
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You stated that Catholicism teaches that works merit eternal life. So are you saying that Catholicism teaches a Pelagian form of works salvation?
 
Per_Crucem said:
You stated that Catholicism teaches that works merit eternal life. So are you saying that Catholicism teaches a Pelagian form of works salvation?
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No. My statement makes no comment about Pelagianism and is not intended to go down that trail.
 
Koineman said:
No. My statement makes no comment about Pelagianism and is not intended to go down that trail.
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Okay. So in what respect do you believe that Catholicism teaches that works merit eternal life? And if so, how does this mean that Catholicism doesn’t preach the Gospel?
 
Per_Crucem said:
Okay. So in what respect do you believe that Catholicism teaches that works merit eternal life? And if so, how does this mean that Catholicism doesn’t preach the Gospel?
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In the sense I mentioned earlier: Works “done in God” merit eternal life. That’s how Trent put it.

That fails to convey the Good News because it shifts the burden of salvation from Christ to the believer.
 
Koineman said:
Wow, really? After I just told you I consulted Catholic sources? Quite obviously this will go nowhere.

May God bless you.
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Fair enough, if that’s what you’re decided on. But don’t go without reading this …

First, it must be noted that many (okay, most) posters (Catholic or otherwise) don’t get my sense of humor very well … I’ve been trying to accommodate, e.g. by inserting emoticons, but maybe it isn’t working.

Second, I don’t see my statement "It really sounds like you’ve had a healthy dose of internet “dialogue” " as contradicting your “I went on my reading of Catholic sources, including the Council of Trent.” I simply observed that
Koineman said:
If past experience serves me right, your next reply will likely be some assertion that I didn’t really understand Catholic teaching.
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and so on sounds a lot like you’re talking about, shall we say, “what Catholics do on blogs and forums on the internet”.
 
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