Author Topic: Are you a convert to Orthodoxy? (Read 18568 times)

odox · « **Reply #45 on:** November 18, 2005, 09:44:03 AM »

Hello everyone,

My 'family of origin''s faith was Church of Christ (Disciples of Christ). I considered myself eclectic and nondenominational until I became Orthodox.

odox

SouthernOrthodox · « **Reply #46 on:** November 18, 2005, 10:27:48 AM »

Hi everyone,

Excellent forum, glad I found. Born into a long line of Russian Old-Believers. Often joked with my brother and sister, we are the last of the pure-breads in our family. All of us married non-Russians. Left the faith altogether for over 15 years. Came some-what back three years ago to a New-Rite ROCOR Parrish. I agree with the post that all of us are converts or have to discover for ourselves what the true faith is (Orthodoxy). I took it for granted and nearly lost everything. It's amazing to me the zeal of faith converts to Orthodoxy have here in the South. Good stuff.

zefciu · « **Reply #47 on:** November 18, 2005, 01:57:59 PM »

Hello, nice I found this 4um. I am Polish, born a Roman Catholic, and always been quite religious. I found the true Church in the Orthodoxy few months ago. I learned about Orthodoxy from one of my friend, from some orthodox on a catholic forum, and at last from a priest in Edinburgh, where I stayed with an exchange programme.

Marat · « **Reply #48 on:** December 01, 2005, 03:50:59 PM »

I'm in the process of converting. Very early in the process.

theoforos · « **Reply #49 on:** December 02, 2005, 08:12:16 AM »

I grew up in a very conservative sub-group (which had been influenced by certain Calvinist and Roman Catholic ideas) within the Lutheran church. I became interested in orthodoxy already about 20 years ago (I'm 31 now) but didn't become a member of the church until about half a year ago. The most intensive period of my approach to orthodoxy started about five years ago when I lived in Moscow, so I sort of consider the Russian church my "mother" although I belong to the Finnish Orthodox Church.

aserb · « **Reply #50 on:** December 02, 2005, 11:59:08 AM »

I was born into an Orthodox and Catholic (Dad & Mom) family. Mom had me baptized Catholic, yet, I attended both churches. Officially converted to Orthodoxy as an adult. So in a sence I am a robbed from the cradle Orthodox.

Truth_or_Bust · « **Reply #51 on:** December 12, 2005, 08:35:48 PM »

Anglo-Israelism, in the process of converting to Orthodoxy!

emidesu · « **Reply #52 on:** January 17, 2006, 03:07:13 PM »

Born Unitarian, practiced Buddhism, now engaged to a Copt and studying Orthodoxy.

dantxny · « **Reply #53 on:** January 17, 2006, 09:24:46 PM »

Originally I was born as a Roman Catholic with a devout family. Later, I persued Traditional Catholicism, until I could no longer buy my arguments of papal primacy and Vatican I & II and became Orthodox.

dantxny · « **Reply #54 on:** January 17, 2006, 09:25:37 PM »

Quote

Interestingly, we have a RC priest who sometimes attends services at our ROCOR parish. Our priest keeps asking him when he's going to convert

Just out of curiousity, what would happen to a RC priest (or monk even) that converted to Orthodoxy. Would his vow of celibacy be void?

Thomas · « **Reply #55 on:** January 17, 2006, 11:26:12 PM »

I believe that he would meet with the bishop to work out what status he would be in coming into the Orthodox Church. Most of those who chose celibacy would probably choose to continue to be celibate. If already ordained, there is the possibility the priest would be able to become an Orthodox Priest but as he has been already ordained, I am unsure that he could be anything except a celibate priest as Orthodox Priests must marry prior to ordination as Deacons. Of course he could come into the OrthodoxChurch as a layman (unsure if he would have to formally be lasized or not). The monastic would be encouraged to enter a monastic foundation if that is what he wishes to remain otherwise as a lay person he would leave the monastery and be free to marry.

In Christ,
Thomas

Carpatho-Rusyn · « **Reply #56 on:** January 18, 2006, 05:42:13 PM »

Convert from RC almost one year ago.

bergschlawiner · « **Reply #57 on:** January 18, 2006, 06:40:49 PM »

This poll should have included "converts" from another eastern church, i.e. Greek Catholics, who generally go back and forth a lot less formally that the others, at least in Europe.

StBrigid · « **Reply #58 on:** January 20, 2006, 10:43:12 PM »

I started looking into Orthodoxy seriously about 2 years ago and was baptized and chrismated in the Coptic Church this past summer. My background is Baptist evangelical, with a few years dalliance in Anglicanism.

I was a Russian minor in college, traveled in Russia and Moldova, studied lots of church history, and lived in Istanbul for several years. God was trying to get my attention for a long time, but I'm very, very thick...

GeorgeS · « **Reply #59 on:** January 26, 2006, 02:44:01 PM »

Born and raised Orthodox. So many converts envy that but they shouldn't, people who come to faith at a later stage in their life are in most cases more devoted to it than those who grew up from childhood within the church. I know enough people who were baptized in infancy and taken to church by their parents as children, but now they'll show up for Christmas and Easter and that's it.

It seems I'm observing a tendency that most converts in America were previously a part of another Christian confession. I don't see that many people who were raised in agnostic/atheistic families coming to the church, unlike in formerly communist countries where the reverse is true.

Ntinos · « **Reply #60 on:** January 26, 2006, 05:08:08 PM »

Being a Greek from birth, I was born in the Orthodox Church, nothing more, nothing less...
Oh God I'm glad I was born Orthodox, and didn't have to tread the path from protestantism or catholicism to Orthodoxy for many years.

NicholasOhio · « **Reply #61 on:** January 30, 2006, 09:22:28 PM »

Converted to Orthodoxy nine years ago after 10+ years of attending (though never joining) the Methodist Church. Before that, I had experienced very little if any spiritual formation.

I'm a first-time poster obviously, so hello to everyone!

N

Asteriktos · « **Reply #62 on:** January 30, 2006, 09:28:39 PM »

Welcome to the forum

Starlight · « **Reply #63 on:** January 30, 2006, 09:42:18 PM »

I am Ukrainian Orthodox. Secretly baptized as a baby during Communist times in Ukraine. Grew up as Orthodox, when it had to be a secret. I really like Ozgeorge's point about a baptism as a second birth.

Actually, I am also brand new here. So, hello everyone!!!

Meekle · « **Reply #64 on:** January 30, 2006, 09:45:25 PM »

Welcome to both of you!

~~Fresh meat~~ New members are always a joy!

NicholasOhio · « **Reply #65 on:** January 31, 2006, 01:09:09 AM »

Hello Starlight,
Your own story sounds pretty dramatic...it makes me really thankful for my own rather boring one! I wasn't even Baptised until I was 28 years old.

N

Ntinos · « **Reply #66 on:** January 31, 2006, 06:42:07 AM »

Quote

I am Ukrainian Orthodox.

Moscow Patriarchate?

Starlight · « **Reply #67 on:** February 01, 2006, 03:14:48 AM »

Thank you all, for welcoming!
Nicholas,
Yes, unfortunately situation was dramatic in those years. Actually, my baptism even took place at the private residence of the friends of the family instead of a church. Information about a baptism of child really could destroy parents’ employment in certain positions (engineering, education, military, etc.) back then. Those restrictions did not apply exclusively to top executives and Communist party members. But in general, in Western Ukraine, where I am originally from, most children were secretly baptized, often either with closed doors of churches or in residences.
Trust me, your story sounds awesome, not boring!!! Great that you made that decision about coming to Orthodoxy! Nicholas, that is important. As a cradle Orthodox, I do not have a history of such a decision.
Ntinos,
Actually I live in USA and belong to Ukrainian Orthodox Church of USA — Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Ntinos · « **Reply #68 on:** February 01, 2006, 05:47:08 PM »

Heh, that's even better.

Starlight · « **Reply #69 on:** February 01, 2006, 08:17:10 PM »

Thank you, Ntinos!

jayjay · « **Reply #70 on:** February 05, 2006, 07:52:16 AM »

Protestant to Fundamentalist, to Baptist Seminary to Agnostic, and last three years leaning to Orthodox. I plan to be "in the orthodox faith" very soon.

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Author Topic: Are you a convert to Orthodoxy? (Read 18568 times)