Coco_Clark
-
Posts
1,786 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by Coco_Clark
-
-
From my understanding of The Way (which is limited, but I have known followers) it started in the 60's but they claim to have "gotten back to the roots of original Christianity". So while there is no unbroken line of secession, they still claim to be the original church. The Church of Christ (started early 1900's) also has the same claim.
-
I dont know, I think I'm also voting for going to Christ the Savior in Spokane. That is where my husband and I are attending! Saying that, I have a 1 yr old and a 3 yr old...and wonder if a midnight service=parental insanity. I'm about equally torn right now with wanting to experience the service and wanting to not kill my children.
-
As Ive mentioned I have always felt drawn to crossing myself, and generally end my prayers that way. Or I may cross myself after buckling for a drive, or when I hear bad news. For me, so far, its always accompanied by prayer and I've understood it as a physical prayer.
In the O.C. tradition you cross yourself whenever the trinity is invoked (also other times?). May I ask why and what the significance of that is?
Please forgive me but as a child I always understood it as some "catholic superstition". Like they were crossing OR ELSE. Obviously this was schoolyard talk and not true.
Also Mary gave birth in a cave!?? This tripped me up, the barn imagery seems so universal...
-
What are the differences in belief towards purgatory of the OC and the RCC if anyone knows? Obviously as a protestant its completely new to me. We tried to talk to the priest of the church we visited to get a time to meet and ask questions but honestly he just seemed baffled that we were protestants thinking of converting. We asked about any sort of class for converts but they don't have one. I may try a different parish, I know there are several in my town.
-
I suppose I am interested in doctrine? Also church history- that is what got me in this mess in the first place. :) But mostly right now doctrine. My husband and I are still trying to feel out where we fit in, Orthodox, Catholic, or do we need to just go back to the Church of Christ? I have always felt drawn towards a more historical, liturgical church so I'm pushing towards OC or RCC...and I have papal and purgatory concerns which make me push even further for Orthodoxy. We are at a stage now where we are visiting sundays, talking to priests, and trying to remember who believes what.
-
I just discovered Ancient Faith Radio. Any suggestions for good podcasts for an enquirer? All the choices are a bit overwhelming.
-
Thankyou! That is just what I was looking for!
-
I didn't mean that it was "less orthodox" in an way-we just didn't enjoy the feel as much. Although I might have my doubts about this particular church. I guess the story is they all converted jointly from Episcopalians but even though it was over 10 years ago a lot of the members basically told us they still felt more like Episcopalians then orthodox. It was a very strange situation.
-
I didn't notice a ton of crossing when I went, but then again my youngest was trying to crawl behind the iconostasis so I was a bit distracted by him!! Also we went right to the front, then everyone sort of filed in 15 or so minutes late and stuck to the back/sides. It was hard to see anyone. Next time I might go to the side myself. It will serve the dual purpose of a better view of the congregation and a less ideal view for the little one of that funny room back there ;)
I have always felt very drawn to crossing myself, but never done it. I cross myself in my head, isnt that silly? I've started doing it a bit secretly when my husband isnt around, we've never talked about it but since protestants never do it I wonder if he will think I am getting ahead of myself, or even that there is something wrong with it? We aren't even "officially" enquirers yet and I know when I push he tends to push back. Patience works out better for me. Crossing is like a physical prayer though, no?
-
You have to renew because you weren't married in a catholic church? Is this true for all converts?
-
I suppose on reading and re reading these answers that my "problem" is not at all with the process of salvation, I get that, that its a process. I suppose some of it is that I dont know where, biblically, we are getting that there is a purgatory and that we have to be cleansed there? Obviously there is some in-between place, but as far as I know Catholics are the only ones who see it as a place of punishment. Does anyone know when the church began to teach this and why? Sometimes that knowledge helps. Liturgical worship was explained wonderfully for me that way. Also I guess I need explaination on what constitutes deadly sin and what constitutes venial sin. Why the levels? Didn't Jesus teach that sin was sin, and that to hate your brother was as bad as to murder him? I guess my protestant teaching is making me think I will be in a constant state of deadly sin because I have no idea how to tell which is which...
-
Oh yes, I will assume its the same as the Catholic reasoning? I just remembered the explanation a Catholic friend once gave me :) That there was no language for "brother" as we know it but rather that brother could mean cousin or uncle or even family that lives next door and you basically grew up with.
-
Well my boys are only 1 and 3 so I dont think they identify with many saints yet :) That was some of my worry, choosing all those saints for all of us!! My husband is also named after a bible character so he's also good to go. Sadly my name is very american, but I wouldn't mind taking a saints name for myself :)
-
Oh I'm afraid I'm very much being a pest :( But how can St. James be the brother of Jesus if Mary was ever-virgin?
-
We visited a local western rite OC today. Neither my husband or I liked it, but on the drive home he said something like, "It didn't have the feeling of holiness like the one last week. Last week as soon as I walked in I knew I was someplace holy...set apart." (The one last week was an eastern rite OC.)
This was very exciting for me because I know my husband is very hesitant about converting to Orthodoxy. He agrees that Protestantism isn't working but he's also nervous about going "all the way". Icons and mariology are still just very hard for him, and he's very set in his ways, very attached to the hymns we know and love. Maybe he can learn to love this after all!?!
Finally weird thing we were wondering. Our sons are named after well known prophets of the Old Testament. These names mean a lot to us. When you baptize you take on a saints name correct? Would my kids be able to keep their names since those prophets are also saints (arent they?)?
Courtney
PathsIHaveNotKnown.com
-
It is bad that I'm slightly relieved to hear that there is some wiggle room on the full immersion thing? My boys, ages 1 and 3, are both TERRIFIED of having their heads under water. Terrified to the point that we wash hair only once a week. The thought of having to dunk them if we convert has been giving me nightmares. Pouring over their head will be "bad enough". :) I wonder how unseemly it will be when my kids scream and cry after their baptism?
-
Thank you all for your answers. This gives me a lot to think and pray about.
-
We are also concerned about the infallibility of the pope and his doctrines. It is heresy to disagree with the pope, correct? We use birth control, for example. I have had several miscarriages due to the fact that my body gets pregnant very quickly after each child (we're talking 2 or 3 months) and then cant support it. We also got married quite young (18 and 19) so we would end up with a family much larger then we can financially or emotionally support if we were to keep having kids right up until my 40's. For these reasons we use b.c. to space our kids out and plan sooner or later to forcefully stop all together. The idea that a disagreement like this would make us heretic is disconcerting to say the least.
Please dont let me offend, I am mearly ignorant and want to better understand.
-
To make a very long story short my husband and I (long term protestants) are considering converting to Catholicism. For full disclosure we are also considering Orthodoxy. We have some concerns and misunderstandings however and I wonder if any of you ladies would have the patience and grace to help?
Our main worry is the idea of purgatory/mortal sin ect. From our understanding if you were to commit a mortal sin, and then on your car drive over to the church to confess be hit by a car and die, you would go to hell. This seems like a weak sort of salvation, to be honest. Also we are under the understanding that when you die you go to purgatory and are punished for all venial and unconfessed sins. This makes it sound (to us) as if Jesus' sacrifice did not buy us forgiveness at all, but instead "earned" by confessions or else punished after death.
...more...
-
Thankyou for all the wonderful responses. So much to think about and I'm sure I will have more questions. For instance, I saw somewhere on this board that as Orthodox you cant pray with or attend services of other Christians? Is this true? We often visit my inlaws and always attend their wonderful church while in town. While we dont agree with all its teachings we have been blessed in countless ways by its members, they have prayed with my while I lost numerous pregnancies, given very graciously when we got married very young and had nothing to fill our home, ect. I cant imagine visiting and saying "no we wont go to church with you and we wont pray at family meals either."
-
We are also confused/concerned about a few matters. Such as:
Icons. The homily was all about venerating icons and how this is not a "choice" but a "necessity". Does this mean we HAVE to kiss icons? I could see myself doing this but never my husband. He says he can respect them, ect, but he just isn't physically expressive like that.
Liturgy. It was beautiful and all but 70% of it went over my head, the chanting is hard to understand. There are 4 EO churches here in Spokane. One is western rite and we wonder if that would be better for us?
Sacraments. If grace is received thru the sacraments (baptism, Eucharist, ect) what does that mean for salvation thru faith? For Christians who are not Orthodox? Do Orthodox believe in salvation thru faith is my question I guess, and how do the sacraments then fit in?
Please take my questions with all grace. I don't mean to offend, I am just very ignorant.
-
My husband and I are new Orthodox enquirers. To make a 10 year story short, we were protestants and searched and searched (and searched and searched) for a church where we could grow. Our journey went something like Free Methodist -> Vineyard -> Church of Christ -> Bible Church -> United Methodist, with a lot of "visiting" in between. In the end, after missions, and teaching bible studies and leading youth groups we realized that maybe Protestantism in itself could not give us what we needed.
This was a shocking and disconcerting discovery as we were both seriously uncomfortable with a few tenets of Catholicism.
Discovering Orthodoxy has been like a breath of fresh air and we went to our first service last week.
It was beautiful. And also very weird ;)
(more...)
-
I've been blogging about 3 years. About mothering boys, about my faith, about homekeeping, about life.
Divine Liturgy
in Exploring Orthodox Christianity
Posted
I was nervous as well but it isn't nearly as scary as it seemed. As my husband pointed out when I complained about being sore thumbs (and with two toddlers we really ARE) "How many people were you watching?" Umm...none! So I suppose no one was watching me either!