Perhaps I made the wrong decision?

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Love4Theotokos

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NOTE: I don’t know if this is the proper section for this thread, so if a mod feels it should be moved please do so!

I am a brand new member here so no one probably knows anything about me. I’m a 24 year old former Catholic who converted to Catholicism from the SDA church back in 2008 when I was a recruit at Parris Island (I was in the Marine Corps). I converted to the Orthodox church late last year (2012). I spent almost an entire year in the catechumenate for the Orthodox church and I had been looking into Orthodoxy for a couple of years before I made the jump.

There’s so much I love about Orthodoxy (the views about salvation being holistic vs legalistic plus the beautiful liturgy). But, I have seen the many things that are wrong in Orthodoxy as well over the past year or so that I have been involved in the Orthodox church. The biggest of these problems being the issue of authority/ecclesiology (if anyone knows anything about the state of the Orthodox church here in America they know it is a MESS in the area of ecclesiology!). Orthodoxy also seems to be less strict about certain sexual behaviors and moral issues than the Catholic Church is (speaking here of contraception and abortion specifically).

So, I guess I’ve just been asking myself if I made the right decision. I’m really unsure of myself at this point. I thought the Orthodox church was THE church and that I made the best decision I ever made converting but now I sort of feel like I made a mistake.

I’d love to hear from any former Orthodox here, whether you were cradle Orthodox or a Catholic who converted to Orthodoxy and then returned to the Catholic Church. I just want to hear what your stories were and why you made the decisions you made.

And let me say this right now: I DO NOT WANT ANY DEBATING OR FIGHTING ABOUT ANY THEOLOGICAL ISSUE IN THIS THREAD. This is just a thread about me asking questions and getting to know people who share a similar journey to me. I didn’t start this thread to start any debates or fights. I hope the mods here will delete any posts that become argumentative whatsoever.

It is a pleasure to be here, and it is nice to meet you all! God bless!

-CJ
 
God bless you too and prayers for you as you discern the issue.
 
I hope that you are able to see the truth. May god bless you for asking to see what direction it is you need to take.
 
We are very happy in the Eastern Catholic Church, with the beautiful liturgies and with the Catholic teachings. I hope you can find that this is an option where you are.
 
I was just going to suggest this to you, to try and find an Eastern Catholic Church with the Holy Father as Head, you will then have best of both of them for you, there are quite a few Eastern Catholic Churches’ Good luck on your search. Don’t be downcast, your journey is not finally finished, the Lord is driving you on, in HIM you TRUST.
 
Love4Theotokos said:
NOTE: I don’t know if this is the proper section for this thread, so if a mod feels it should be moved please do so!

So, I guess I’ve just been asking myself if I made the right decision. I’m really unsure of myself at this point. I thought the Orthodox church was THE church and that I made the best decision I ever made converting but now I sort of feel like I made a mistake.

It is a pleasure to be here, and it is nice to meet you all! God bless!

-CJ
Click to expand...
Just ponder on this passage…1 Samuel 15:22-23
22 But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”

What does your heart tell you? Pray about it and ask the HS to guide you where He wants you.
 
Love4Theotokos said:
NOTE: I don’t know if this is the proper section for this thread, so if a mod feels it should be moved please do so!

I am a brand new member here so no one probably knows anything about me. I’m a 24 year old former Catholic who converted to Catholicism from the SDA church back in 2008 when I was a recruit at Parris Island (I was in the Marine Corps). I converted to the Orthodox church late last year (2012). I spent almost an entire year in the catechumenate for the Orthodox church and I had been looking into Orthodoxy for a couple of years before I made the jump.

There’s so much I love about Orthodoxy (the views about salvation being holistic vs legalistic plus the beautiful liturgy). But, I have seen the many things that are wrong in Orthodoxy as well over the past year or so that I have been involved in the Orthodox church. The biggest of these problems being the issue of authority/ecclesiology (if anyone knows anything about the state of the Orthodox church here in America they know it is a MESS in the area of ecclesiology!). Orthodoxy also seems to be less strict about certain sexual behaviors and moral issues than the Catholic Church is (speaking here of contraception and abortion specifically).

So, I guess I’ve just been asking myself if I made the right decision. I’m really unsure of myself at this point. I thought the Orthodox church was THE church and that I made the best decision I ever made converting but now I sort of feel like I made a mistake.

I’d love to hear from any former Orthodox here, whether you were cradle Orthodox or a Catholic who converted to Orthodoxy and then returned to the Catholic Church. I just want to hear what your stories were and why you made the decisions you made.

And let me say this right now: I DO NOT WANT ANY DEBATING OR FIGHTING ABOUT ANY THEOLOGICAL ISSUE IN THIS THREAD. This is just a thread about me asking questions and getting to know people who share a similar journey to me. I didn’t start this thread to start any debates or fights. I hope the mods here will delete any posts that become argumentative whatsoever.

It is a pleasure to be here, and it is nice to meet you all! God bless!

-CJ
Click to expand...
Have you talked to your priest about this problem? I suggest talking to him first.

I don’t know what you are talking about regarding abortion, the Orthodox Church is totally against abortion. If certain priests are lenient about it, there’s nothing we can do about it. Certain Roman Catholic priests are lenient about many things as well, it happens. And I don’t know what worries you about the ecclesiology in North America, while it certainly is not the ideal situation, life goes on for people while we are working to a resolution. It is not like the Catholics are any better, there are overlapping jurisdictions of RCs and ECs as well. I mean, there are 3 Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch. How is that any better? The Latin Church exists in traditional Eastern Church jurisdictions with their own Latin bishops overlapping Eastern bishops in territory.
 
Thank you everyone for your responses.

I have considered finding at Eastern rite Catholic Church to visit, but I live in the upstate of SC and the only choice I have is a Maronite church (which is not exactly the same as a Byzantine rite that worships like the Orthodox). I visit the Atlanta, GA area on a regular basis though and I know there is a Byzantine Catholic church there that I can visit from time to time!
 
I want to ask again though: are there any Catholics reading this who use to be Orthodox but converted to Catholicism (whether you were cradle Orthodox or a Catholic turned Orthodox who reconverted to Catholicism)?
 
Let me ask you this though, do you go to Church because of the ecclesiology of the Church? Or do you go to Church because of their soteriology and eschatology?
 
Love4Theotokos

I’m not stopping you from leaving Orthodoxy if that is what you really want to do. But given you’ve bounced around several Churches already, I want to make sure that you are asking yourself the right questions to make your decision. Your decision is yours alone, no one should tell you whether you should be Orthodox or Catholic or Baptist or whatever. But it is important that whatever your issues are, you know what the reality is and not some ill conceived notion that you got somewhere or something that developed from one instance you experienced that isn’t representative of the overall truth.

You have to ask yourself why you want to do this, and are you doing this for the right reason? Because if not, then you’ll be back asking this same question again in the not too distant future and you’ll just further confuse yourself and you will drift farther and farther away from the truth.
 
Cradle catholic, so I’m not sure if Im any help.

It just occurs to me that you’ve moved around rather a bit. I wondered if you realized that institutions run by humans are always going to be imperfect, even if they were divinely instituted.

So my advice is not to be dismayed by poor administration or squabbles, but to examine the teachings of rival claimants to be THE church and ask God to reveal to you which one really is “one, holy, catholic and apostolic.” The answer is not necessarily going to be the one that FEELS most that way, but IS that way. The trick is discerning the difference!
 
Love4Theotokos said:
NOTE: I don’t know if this is the proper section for this thread, so if a mod feels it should be moved please do so!

I am a brand new member here so no one probably knows anything about me. I’m a 24 year old former Catholic who converted to Catholicism from the SDA church back in 2008 when I was a recruit at Parris Island (I was in the Marine Corps). I converted to the Orthodox church late last year (2012). I spent almost an entire year in the catechumenate for the Orthodox church and I had been looking into Orthodoxy for a couple of years before I made the jump.

There’s so much I love about Orthodoxy (the views about salvation being holistic vs legalistic plus the beautiful liturgy). But, I have seen the many things that are wrong in Orthodoxy as well over the past year or so that I have been involved in the Orthodox church. The biggest of these problems being the issue of authority/ecclesiology (if anyone knows anything about the state of the Orthodox church here in America they know it is a MESS in the area of ecclesiology!). Orthodoxy also seems to be less strict about certain sexual behaviors and moral issues than the Catholic Church is (speaking here of contraception and abortion specifically).

So, I guess I’ve just been asking myself if I made the right decision. I’m really unsure of myself at this point. I thought the Orthodox church was THE church and that I made the best decision I ever made converting but now I sort of feel like I made a mistake.

I’d love to hear from any former Orthodox here, whether you were cradle Orthodox or a Catholic who converted to Orthodoxy and then returned to the Catholic Church. I just want to hear what your stories were and why you made the decisions you made.

And let me say this right now: I DO NOT WANT ANY DEBATING OR FIGHTING ABOUT ANY THEOLOGICAL ISSUE IN THIS THREAD. This is just a thread about me asking questions and getting to know people who share a similar journey to me. I didn’t start this thread to start any debates or fights. I hope the mods here will delete any posts that become argumentative whatsoever.

It is a pleasure to be here, and it is nice to meet you all! God bless!

-CJ
Click to expand...
Quick quesion? Did you attend RCIA back in '08? Did they not teach you church structure and history? By all means, if you are an Orthodox,please remain as one,but I just do not comprehend how a subject so crucial escaped you?
 
ConstantineTG said:
Love4Theotokos

Your decision is yours alone, no one should tell you whether you should be Orthodox or Catholic or Baptist or whatever. But it is important that whatever your issues are, you know what the reality is and not some ill conceived notion that you got somewhere or something that developed from one instance you experienced that isn’t representative of the overall truth.
Click to expand...
Well, I will tell Love4Theotokos, “you should be Catholic, we have cookies.” 😛

Seriously, though. it is important to ask the right questions in what you are seeking in your spiritual journey and pray the Holy Spirit guides you.
 
I think your decision was great.

I don’t know if this will help but there is one good book - “Everyday saints and other stories” by archimandrite Tikhon. It’s about Orthodoxy in Russia, about the wonderful people known by author. I’m not advertising, I’m just his student in his seminary and know the author and the book very close 🙂 Some people came to Russia and baptized after reading it. Some people say it saved them from suicide so it’s worth reading.
everyday-saints.com/ - there is a site.

I’m a seminarian, I want to become an Orthodox priest. Maybe I can answer some questions - write me if you want.
Father Tikhon taught me one prayer: O Lord, tell me the way wherein I should walk;
for I lift up my soul unto thee.
And the other: O Lord, by the judgments which Thou hast established, save me, Thine unworthy servant.

God is with you, try to hear His will.
 
hey hey hey, don’t make your problems our problem, we Catholics are OK
ConstantineTG said:
Have you talked to your priest about this problem? I suggest talking to him first.

I don’t know what you are talking about regarding abortion, the Orthodox Church is totally against abortion. If certain priests are lenient about it, there’s nothing we can do about it. Certain Roman Catholic priests are lenient about many things as well, it happens. And I don’t know what worries you about the ecclesiology in North America, while it certainly is not the ideal situation, life goes on for people while we are working to a resolution. It is not like the Catholics are any better, there are overlapping jurisdictions of RCs and ECs as well. I mean, there are 3 Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch. How is that any better? The Latin Church exists in traditional Eastern Church jurisdictions with their own Latin bishops overlapping Eastern bishops in territory.
Click to expand...
 
marlo said:
hey hey hey, don’t make your problems our problem, we Catholics are OK
Click to expand...
Far from it. No Church on earth is perfect, there is always controversy and problems within each Church. That is just the way of things, the Churches on earth are filled with humans who are sinners. Don’t pretend your Church has no problems. Ours have plenty of problems. For one to leave a Church because of problems should know that any Church they go to will have problems of their own.
 
I have been Eastern Orthodox since 1998 and was very active: served on parish councils, taught Sunday school, gave lectures at the university, started a mission in my living room (it has since become a full-fledged parish) and worked for a nat’l pan-orthodox organization for a couple of years. However, I was just received into the Roman Catholic Church a few weeks ago. It was not so much a theological decision as a practical one. Neither was I mad or frustrated. Although I was baptized Catholic, I was not raised Catholic and found my way into the evangelical church during the Jesus Movement of the early/mid seventies. So I am not exactly the example you are looking for. At any rate, my two cents? Pray and discuss it with your priest(s) (both Orthodox and Roman Catholic. God will give you clear guidance I’m sure.
 
Love4Theotokos said:
Thank you everyone for your responses.

I have considered finding at Eastern rite Catholic Church to visit, but I live in the upstate of SC and the only choice I have is a Maronite church (which is not exactly the same as a Byzantine rite that worships like the Orthodox). I visit the Atlanta, GA area on a regular basis though and I know there is a Byzantine Catholic church there that I can visit from time to time!
Click to expand...
I also live in the upstate of SC and know the Maronite church of which you speak. Father Bart is an awesome priest and I am sure he would love to sit down with you and discuss further.
 
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