RetiredAg, you asked about my path to Orthodox Christianity, figured I'd post it here.
I followed a typical path of reading a few books, starting to attend a few services, meeting with the Priest, taking catechism classes, joining. I don't think that part is all that interesting, so I'll focus on the "why". Apologies in advance, this is more of a rambling meditation than a tight argument. I'll leave the latter to k2.
1. I considered myself a Christian and affirmed that I would die for Christ and give up my life for Him. Yet this presented uncomfortable contradictions in my life. If I was honest with myself, the most important things in my life were material -- house, job, retirement/savings, finding a good school for kids. I'd get drunk, look at things I shouldn't on the internet, make stupid posts on texags, get angry, get jealous, argue, etc.
2. I think many Christians are in this same boat and the uncharitable view would be that we're not really Christian, or haven't been transformed by Christ. But I think the more accurate view is that we are constantly distracted and tempted by the evil one working through a materialist/consumerist culture that is hostile to the true Christian life. A minimalist approach to Christianity is simply overwhelmed by the ideas, sights and sounds that flood us every day, hour and minute. And we end up acting just like everyone else.
3. Orthodoxy was interesting to me because it is truly a way of life. The prayer, fasting, scripture reading, spiritual direction from a spiritual father or mother, the varied services throughout the liturgical year, the longer services, monasticism, etc. It is a maximalist approach. Christ in every aspect of our lives. I think this is vital.
4. CS Lewis has a nice quote here: "'If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth". What I was looking for was comfort. I wanted to check the box of faith and get my ticket to heaven and then do the bare minimum. I was not aiming for Christ, who is the Truth, the Way, and the Life; instead I was aiming for eternal comfort.
5. The Orthodox Church is a hospital designed to bring us to Truth; to heal us and purify our souls. We have to move away from our worldly passions/addictions and move towards God. I was filled with passions but said I wanted to go to heaven. How was this possible? Because I'd remade heaven in my image. Just an eternal, relaxing, fun time! That's the only way heaven sounded good to me. Instead, I needed to be remade in God's image.
6. The maximalist approach of Orthodoxy definitely clashes with surrounding secular culture which has probably been going on in one form or another for 20 centuries. The Church is not going to change for the sake of accommodating the latest social or cultural trend in society. It will stay serious, difficult, demanding and deep when society is trivial, easy, comfortable and shallow. It does not need to change to please me, I need to change to please God. I am challenged by the Church in a deep way to become holy.
7. The maximalist approach includes a physical side which has somewhat disappeared from Western Christianity. There has been a continual trend in the West of dropping various physical aspect of the Faith as non-essential. Fasting, standing for prayer and gospel readings, utilizing icons and prayer ropes in prayer, prostrations, bodily burial, etc. are "physical" aspects that have become non-essential in the West (although I think this result is logical/unavoidable with a minimalist approach). The writer William Dalrymple noted in his book 'From The Holy Mountain' that "In the sixth century, the Muslims appear to have derived their techniques of worship from existing Christian practice. Islam and the Eastern Christians have retained the original early Christian convention; it is the Western Christians who have broken with sacred tradition."
8. Monasticism. Monastics have saved the Church and have probably saved the world through their diligent prayer. Monastics help keep us in check and help give us the right frame of mind. They have died to the world and teach us that we can give up the treasures of the world willingly today and follow Christ or give up the treasures unwillingly tomorrow. St Feofil: "Leave the vanity of this world for its wells are useless, they cannot hold within themselves saving water. Yesterday, my eyes saw, my ears heard, my lips spoke, and my body moved. But the spirit of life has left it and what is now before you? And so remember, my friend, to live in fear for our earthly life is nothing but a daily death. Yesterday, we were not as we are today. Tomorrow we will not be as today. Each day, a part of our life vanishes and at the very time when we are growing, life is receding and diminishing. Your brother has died today and tomorrow you will die. The route is the same for all. All the earth is sown with the bones of the deceased like a field of wheat and the living cannot find a spot upon which to step without disturbing with their feet the remains of the deceased. Do not seek delights for sight and hearing, for tomorrow your eyes will close and your ears will stop hearing. Do not give will to your hands and feet. Tomorrow the hand of death will bind them and you yourself will be welded to your death-bed from which you will rise. Do not desire splendid clothing or grand houses, for tomorrow you will be clothed in a shroud and a coffin will be your house. Do not desire rewards and distinction, for they will be displayed only temporarily near your coffin, as if laughing at your vainglory. Do not tie yourself down to the earth or to anything earthly, for tomorrow the scythe of death will sever all such ties and against your will and desire, you will go to the distant country of another world where everything is different and will remind you of nothing of your earthly riches and treasures. Keep vigil and hurry to settle over there in good time in thought and heart so that at that hour when you are led to this region, you will not find yourself in a strange place, unfamiliar with the order there."
9. Humilty. It is in everything aspect of the Church, because pride is the greatest danger for believers. We see the Pharisees get prideful because of following the law. While they follow the law well, they've lost all humility and have become legalistic. On the way to doing what God commanded they lost the plot.
The danger is that we Christians do the same with faith. The Pharisee uses works as a path to pride, I can easily use faith as a path to pride; we Christians can become prideful towards other Christians and look down on those who have the wrong beliefs (in our view). This is a very bad approach. A much better approach is to stand or kneel and say, "Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" and stop judging others. Having a spiritual father and the Church to remind me and point me in that direction is absolutely essential. That is why I became Orthodox.
I followed a typical path of reading a few books, starting to attend a few services, meeting with the Priest, taking catechism classes, joining. I don't think that part is all that interesting, so I'll focus on the "why". Apologies in advance, this is more of a rambling meditation than a tight argument. I'll leave the latter to k2.
1. I considered myself a Christian and affirmed that I would die for Christ and give up my life for Him. Yet this presented uncomfortable contradictions in my life. If I was honest with myself, the most important things in my life were material -- house, job, retirement/savings, finding a good school for kids. I'd get drunk, look at things I shouldn't on the internet, make stupid posts on texags, get angry, get jealous, argue, etc.
2. I think many Christians are in this same boat and the uncharitable view would be that we're not really Christian, or haven't been transformed by Christ. But I think the more accurate view is that we are constantly distracted and tempted by the evil one working through a materialist/consumerist culture that is hostile to the true Christian life. A minimalist approach to Christianity is simply overwhelmed by the ideas, sights and sounds that flood us every day, hour and minute. And we end up acting just like everyone else.
3. Orthodoxy was interesting to me because it is truly a way of life. The prayer, fasting, scripture reading, spiritual direction from a spiritual father or mother, the varied services throughout the liturgical year, the longer services, monasticism, etc. It is a maximalist approach. Christ in every aspect of our lives. I think this is vital.
4. CS Lewis has a nice quote here: "'If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth". What I was looking for was comfort. I wanted to check the box of faith and get my ticket to heaven and then do the bare minimum. I was not aiming for Christ, who is the Truth, the Way, and the Life; instead I was aiming for eternal comfort.
5. The Orthodox Church is a hospital designed to bring us to Truth; to heal us and purify our souls. We have to move away from our worldly passions/addictions and move towards God. I was filled with passions but said I wanted to go to heaven. How was this possible? Because I'd remade heaven in my image. Just an eternal, relaxing, fun time! That's the only way heaven sounded good to me. Instead, I needed to be remade in God's image.
6. The maximalist approach of Orthodoxy definitely clashes with surrounding secular culture which has probably been going on in one form or another for 20 centuries. The Church is not going to change for the sake of accommodating the latest social or cultural trend in society. It will stay serious, difficult, demanding and deep when society is trivial, easy, comfortable and shallow. It does not need to change to please me, I need to change to please God. I am challenged by the Church in a deep way to become holy.
7. The maximalist approach includes a physical side which has somewhat disappeared from Western Christianity. There has been a continual trend in the West of dropping various physical aspect of the Faith as non-essential. Fasting, standing for prayer and gospel readings, utilizing icons and prayer ropes in prayer, prostrations, bodily burial, etc. are "physical" aspects that have become non-essential in the West (although I think this result is logical/unavoidable with a minimalist approach). The writer William Dalrymple noted in his book 'From The Holy Mountain' that "In the sixth century, the Muslims appear to have derived their techniques of worship from existing Christian practice. Islam and the Eastern Christians have retained the original early Christian convention; it is the Western Christians who have broken with sacred tradition."
8. Monasticism. Monastics have saved the Church and have probably saved the world through their diligent prayer. Monastics help keep us in check and help give us the right frame of mind. They have died to the world and teach us that we can give up the treasures of the world willingly today and follow Christ or give up the treasures unwillingly tomorrow. St Feofil: "Leave the vanity of this world for its wells are useless, they cannot hold within themselves saving water. Yesterday, my eyes saw, my ears heard, my lips spoke, and my body moved. But the spirit of life has left it and what is now before you? And so remember, my friend, to live in fear for our earthly life is nothing but a daily death. Yesterday, we were not as we are today. Tomorrow we will not be as today. Each day, a part of our life vanishes and at the very time when we are growing, life is receding and diminishing. Your brother has died today and tomorrow you will die. The route is the same for all. All the earth is sown with the bones of the deceased like a field of wheat and the living cannot find a spot upon which to step without disturbing with their feet the remains of the deceased. Do not seek delights for sight and hearing, for tomorrow your eyes will close and your ears will stop hearing. Do not give will to your hands and feet. Tomorrow the hand of death will bind them and you yourself will be welded to your death-bed from which you will rise. Do not desire splendid clothing or grand houses, for tomorrow you will be clothed in a shroud and a coffin will be your house. Do not desire rewards and distinction, for they will be displayed only temporarily near your coffin, as if laughing at your vainglory. Do not tie yourself down to the earth or to anything earthly, for tomorrow the scythe of death will sever all such ties and against your will and desire, you will go to the distant country of another world where everything is different and will remind you of nothing of your earthly riches and treasures. Keep vigil and hurry to settle over there in good time in thought and heart so that at that hour when you are led to this region, you will not find yourself in a strange place, unfamiliar with the order there."
9. Humilty. It is in everything aspect of the Church, because pride is the greatest danger for believers. We see the Pharisees get prideful because of following the law. While they follow the law well, they've lost all humility and have become legalistic. On the way to doing what God commanded they lost the plot.
The danger is that we Christians do the same with faith. The Pharisee uses works as a path to pride, I can easily use faith as a path to pride; we Christians can become prideful towards other Christians and look down on those who have the wrong beliefs (in our view). This is a very bad approach. A much better approach is to stand or kneel and say, "Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" and stop judging others. Having a spiritual father and the Church to remind me and point me in that direction is absolutely essential. That is why I became Orthodox.