Christ is risen! I am georgian, I live in Sochi, I became in orthodox 7 years ago, and I find it very great. Before that I was learning buddism, reading Kuran, but I made sure - Orthodox is the truth! Else, I want to say, that georgians is the most anciant orthodox people in the world, because we have accepted orthodoxy 1700 years ago. Sorry for my English, I hav been learning it only for six month ago). Glory to God for everything!
I recognize the problem of too much intellectualism. I was raised protestant and then became an atheist for decades. I could perfectly express why I didn't believe with well thought out arguments. I could also easily dismantle any arguments from apologetics and refute it. Then, recently, I visited an Orthodox monastery and had a religious experience, and a floodwave of emotions came bursting in. My atheism had zero "defenses" against that, nor a satisfactory explanation, other than that it's a misfiring of neurons in my brain. I don't really understand what has happened or what direction I should go in, but I know that I am no longer an atheist.
He hits the nail on the head in one respect. Do not make an idol of the institutional church. Many make the mistake believing one should be a good Christian by being loyal to the church rules, which as he discovered only leads one to their spiritual ruin. Becoming Orthodox opens one eyes to such realities although I see many of my Orthodox friends still seeing things the wrong way. In other words we should only worship one God, Who is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He says it's not in the head but in the body. That is wrong. It's in neither. It's in the spiritual heart. That's what Orthodoxy teaches.
In the Latin liturgy my mind always wandered, and in the Orthodox Liturgy I never have trouble being attentive and feel like I am indeed worshipping God.
My spiritual Godmother told me after I became Orthodox that knowledge and wisdom and understanding are connected from the mind to the heart through a spiritual nous, which carries the information from the mind to the heart in time. The information can be good or bad, but it is important to note that Christ dwells in us if we open the door as He says in the Scriptures and let Him eat with us. ☦️
Faith + Works !! An Essential Duo for our maddening times... Stay Ancient my friend 🐝 “Desire and Effort must come from you, God will provide the power and result.” Elder Paisios Mt Athos ☦️ 🐝 ☦️ Love this channel, and I’m looking forward to his book. Thanks once again 👍
I enjoyed hearing Dreher's thoughts on his journey into Orthodoxy as I am something of a fan of his. I am glad that he put an emphasis on how he saw Catholicism as opposed to trying to make the Orthodox Church somehow seem perfect or something.
Im a catholic and have the same problem. I prefer the intellectual side. But I have a physical job and my body doesn't do as well as it used to. This video has influenced me though. I need to visit orthodoxy.
@@antidepressant11 stay Catholic you are in the right place my brother 1.3 billion faithful Catholics (and growing) can't be wrong it is the one true church founded by Jesus Christ himself Orthodox Christians are declining rapidly why is God permitting this because it's not the true church (Ask yourself these questions) Why has Jesus Christ appeared only to the Catholic faithful Why has the Virgin Mary appeared only to the Catholic faithful Why have the Archangels appeared only to the Catholic faithful Why have the Saints appeared only to the Catholic faithful Why are all of Jesus Christ 12 Apostles buried under Catholic churches and not orthodox churches The answer is simple and common sense will tell you its because Jesus Christ only founded One Holy Catholic Apostolic church (ONE) THE CHURCH IS ONE. THIS MEANS THAT IT IS A SINGLE, UNITED AND GLOBAL CHURCH WHICH HAS ITS BASIS IN CHRIST JESUS. (HOLY) THE CHURCH IS HOLY, BECAUSE IT IS THE BODY OF CHRIST WITH JESUS AS THE HEAD (CATHOLIC) Greek KATHOLIKOS, Latin CATHOLICUS, MEANING! UNIVERSAL! The first use of Catholic was by the church father Saint Ignatius of Antioch in his letter to the Smyrnaeans (circa 110 AD) (APOSTOLIC) THE ORIGINS AND BELIEFS OF THE CHURCH STARTED OUT WITH THE APOSTLES AT PENTECOST
@UCTBAyFWZw27S8lk5I0mkvUA so numbers are what determine truth now? You might want to rethink using that as an argument, since islam is the fastest growing religion, and is projected to surpass Christianity by 2050, and mohammedans actually use that to argue islam is true. Also, about the 'faithful' part, coming from a mexican (Mexico's the second largest Catholic country in the world), trust me, millions of catholics aren't faithful, and even if they were, it would prove nothing more than colonialism done right (which btw, Francis invites all of Europe to repent of). Also, Catholicism isn't growing, actually, in Mexico is decreasing and protestants or simply atheism are taking over (I believe this is also true for Brazil and many other Latin American countries). About the apparitions and saints, the Orthodox also have many saints through whom the Lord does many miracles in the very recent decades. And the fact that the holy relics of the Apostles are in some place doesn't indicate anything. Finally, by looking at the state of the Catholic church since the middle of the past century and especially today, I'd say there are many signs they aren't the true church, pachamama is a great example, as well as the liturgical reforms that have allowed for the appearance of some of the most heinous and blasphemous 'liturgies', which I know aren't the majority, but the very fact that those appeared and aren't sanctioned is telling.
I am highly intelligent also an author and researcher I always felt my place was to study. I will peel potatoes everyday at the soup kitchen if they need me in the morning. The Lord comes to us through our spirit and our works. I too became Catholic and felt dead inside and then I discovered Orthodoxy as being number one the true church and number to the only sect that could answer my questions! :-)
This is interesting. I converted from Eastern Orthodoxy to Catholicism in 2006, the same year this gentleman converted from Catholicism to Orthodoxy :)
I am a Christian and totally reject Catholicism and I have spent some time in the Anglican Church. Although, I prefer Anglicanism I am still searching for a church that I can belong to. I am a linguist and am loving learning Russian. There is a Russian church very near to where I live in London but attending services is difficult because of Covid-19. I hope to travel to Russia at some point and experience the faith first hand. ☦️🙏
And by the by, Mr. Dreher’s book, The Benedict Option is fantastic .... I finished it this morning. Very insightful, a book that one should read slowly, with pause and contemplation. It is definitely top shelf.... ☦️🐝☦️
Cradle Roman Catholic: What’s with the self-destructive desire to mimic the Episcopal church? (anything goes) Victim of Vatican II. I just got out in time! Converted to the Orthodox Church by God’s Grace!
Oh my, this guy has it so wrong. As Catholics, we love our Orthodox brethren. I ventured off into Orthodoxy briefly, attended catchesis, Divine Liturgy, fasted and prayed as the orthodox do. All beautiful things. They were very Catholic in that sense, but something was off and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. You can argue theology all day, but one thing that can't be argued is the fruits of each tree. On the catholic side, I noticed they never spoke negatively about Protestants or orthodox Christians (sure, there's always the few nuts who are hateful in every religious group), but the vast majority (98%) were totally loving toward them. Meanwhile, what many orthodox and Protestants have in common is their vehement hatred for catholics. And no, this isn't a tiny minority. I've never experienced such harsh discrimination, hateful glares, and uncalled for mistreatment in my life than when I attended an Orthodox Church. They openly shunned me for simply being Catholic. Ultimately they threw me out in the middle of Divine Liturgy, and banned me from ever coming back. I was totally peaceful and kept to myself, without any provocation whatsoever. You see, the Spirit of God is love, which is a gathering force; while the demonic scatter and divide Christians. That was ultimately the difference, and why I thank God I remained Catholic. That spirit of pride, bitterness and hatred would've killed me off spiritually if I remained with the orthodox.
Isn't it a blasphemy to believe that a man (any man) is infallible? Infallibility is God's attribute! Of course the whole Church, the mystical body of Christ is infallible, because Jesus Christ is infallible! For this reason Orthodoxy is expressed and declared in Ecumenical Councils!
As an Orthodox Christian, I'm sorry if what you described genuinely happened. Like everywhere else, there are good and bad people in Orthodoxy, and you may have been unfortunate to come across an unaccepting bunch. However, do not let this singular experience lead you to make generalised conclusions about Orthodox faith and all its people. After all, I'm sure many Christians had similar experiences to yours with the Catholic church. I pray that all your future encounters with Orthodoxy will be in Christ and love. God bless!
@@willmartin5183 nobody of them you've mentioned above was ever infallible! THE HOLY SPIRIT OUR LORD, WHO INSPIRED THEM, IS INFALLIBLE! Of course the whole Church is infallible, because It is the mystical body of our infallible Saviour Jesus Christ! Therefore the whole Church has infallibly chosen those particular texts to be the books of New Testament! Therefore the whole Church infallibly declared the infallibility of those particular writtings! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me!
Since you're basing your argument off of your personal experience, I'm not sure how you can say that Dreher is incorrect for speaking about his personal experience of Catholicism? FWIW, your experience of Orthodoxy does not sound like anything I have encountered...
Exactly my experience. Catholicism for me became a 'scholar's religion'. It's sublime as a theory, but did not Christ become a man to free us from theory?
no He did not, if you abandon theory you end up with 28,000 different protestant churches. we are body and soul. both Catholics and Orthodox have the spiritual and intellectual sides. it is not either/or
Greeting my Christian brothers and sisters. In my opinion, he could have approached it different as a Catholic and not overly focused on Intellectualism and he'd still be a Catholic while at the same time being a faithful Christian and walking with Christ. For any who may have got the wrong idea from this video, an exaggerated focus on Intellectualism is not a requirement of Catholicism, and also interestingly as a Catholic you do not have to, nor or you asked to leave your brain at the door. God bless friends!
God calls various people in a various ways to His Church. Every single one of us is a unique person and call that this brother experienced may not be the same as the call to the other converts into Orthodoxy.
He is Catholic, just not Papal. He is walking with Christ and Christian. We don't leave our brains at the door as Orthodox. That's rude of you. Then you say God bless after being condescending, that's pride.
The Church is the Body of Christ. Therefore we have our relationship with God as we are the Church. He is the Head of the Church. That's true relationship. "Me and my Bible alone" isn't.
I am considering the change. Problem. No orthodox church near where we are moving to in South Carolina. As much as that it appears to me the Roman Catholic church is about rules and canon lawyers.
It can be challenging in the States, alas. For a decade, my family drove 1 1/2 hours each way to church(!) That said, it was well worth it (but, clearly, far from ideal). Have you tried using: www.orthodoxyinamerica.org ?
Al schismatics and heretics once were faithful catholics... the thing is that they are divided among them, for example Moscow Patriarchate is in schism with Constantinople Patriarchate, Jerusalem Patriarchate is in no communion with Antiochy Patriarchate. and what to say about all heretic churches of the reformation.
But yet the Roman church was cast off (excommunicated first) from the Orthodox Catholic Church making it schismatic. It then made parallel jurisdictions which schismatic bodies do. There is no schism inside the Church, it's cessation of commemoration and happened a lot in the first millennium when Rome was in the Church still.
“Why do we need to go to the Sacrament of Confession and not just ask for forgiveness for our sins?” Answer: Why should you clean your body with baby wipes and not take a shower?
But Ive still got this mental block about Orthodoxy. It feels foreign and strange. Long bearded eastern Europeans ? Greeks? Russians? Im of anglo Irish descent. I would feel a traitor leaving that behind.
That’s what Greeks felt that it was Jewish sect, and later Russians that they were taking “Greek” religion. When Russians learned about it and converted it became their faith and no longer Greek. Orthodoxy is the truth and it’s not about ethnicity, but relationship with God.
Clearly he never understood Catholicism. How could he go from accepting papal primacy, permanence of marriage, sinfulness of contraception, etc., to rejecting such things just because of the human deficiency of some priests?
1 Orthodox accept papal primacy but reject papal supremacy. 2 permanence of marriage is the Orthodox teaching as much as it is the Latin teaching. The difference is the Latin Church accepts divorce by deciding the marriage never "actually" took place due to one or both parties being deficient from the beginning and grants an anullment. The Orthox on the other hand accept that humans are fallen and sometimes the participants "destroy" the marriage and it no longer exists. The difference between the two is acknowledging at what point in the marriage was the marriage broken. Regarding contraception in the Orthodox faith, abstinence and NFP are the norm (just like the Catholic faith) but in rare circumstances non abortifacient contraceptives may be used with specific permission from ones spiritual father. It is pretty clear Mr. Dreher had an exemplary understanding of what the Catholic Church teaches and what it practices.
Roman Catholics do not believe in permanence of marriage. Orthodoxy says it happened and ended, we must acknowledge this sin; due to hardness of heart, it ended after all attempts to save it. Repentance and healing ensues. Papal Catholics get married, get civilly divorced, then contact a tribunal who reviews the case and finds a loophole more often than not, then declare the marriage never having happened no matter how long the marriage was and children had. Another marriage can happen and as long as loopholes are there, an annulment can happen. It's all about money as annulments bring in money. One can never know if s/he is married in RCism. There's no healing and repentance. We believe in Bishop of Rome's primacy, not supremacy. Contraception is not allowed. There is rare oikonomia that is none of our business, it's between God, a spiritual father and the married couple. You need to actually look into Orthodoxy instead of Papalist ideas of what we believe. I actually studied RC beliefs compiled by RCs to come to my conclusions.
Sounded kinda dumb to me. He said he learned his lesson and does not make an idol of the institutional church now he is Orthodox, but he left the Roman Catholic Church because he had made an idol of it and the abuse scandal made him fed up. So was the problem the Catholic Church or him?
We don't believe in an invisible universal church, so no he's not confused. We believe the Orthodox Catholic Church is the Church, it's visible. The Papalists believe their institution is the Church of Christ though it broke from us.
In Eastern things, I'm quite partial to Maronites, a group unknown to google spell checking, which speaks volumes. As for Latin Rite Catholic things I was one until.... wait! ...... I still am! This guy lost it because of Judas and scandal and likely liturgical issues and various baggage he acquired along the way, including his self catechesis. As for the makers of scandal, well, there are some millstones just waiting for a a few necks, and some deep waters to test their buoyancy. He said there would be scandal - why the shock? Betrayal is that it? Peter denied Him, Judas sold Him, and NOBODY, save the Virgin has anything to brag about, not one. I think the Jesus prayer the Orthodox ought to pray is the one in the garden, try repeating that one. "Father that they may all be ONE...SO THAT the world will believe".......apparently translated as yada yada yada in some bibles. All Orthodox Churches are mere forerunners of Protestants, kind of knuckle dragging Protestant, Protestant Version 1. Whereas the fully evolved species regardless of the evolutionary timetable are the Unitarians. In between you run the gamut of various national churches from Greek Orthodox, to Russian or whatever. National churches 101, then you get into the other part of the species where the knuckle dragging goes from all fours to two legs, now that took German engineering of course: Luther. From their the bug spread until it fell into the hands of old Henry the VIII, a man never short on libido. Henry, seeing all the various things going on and such did his own libido enabling thing. Sex has a lot to do with it, as you can see throughout history. Even to the tune of 3 billion in lawsuits in the US Catholic Church. Quite a world-class scandal, and a juicy legal target. What's not to like for lawyers and the news media? Frankly, I can get all the scandal I need looking in the mirror, you can look in a mirror and get all you need there too. Christ started exactly ONE and only ONE church, he gave the keys to Peter. Peter is found in Rome. Now, you may want to joy-ride around in the Lord's car, to which only Peter has the keys. But, you are stealing. Christ was born in a barn, not a perfume parlor. If you think your soul does not have some stink, then you should check yourself for spiritual covid because your sense of smell is not functioning. If you think you can joy-ride in Jesus's car while He's gone just because some guys hot-wired it, well, think harder. Now it's true, some have been joy-riding in that car for so long they don't think it's stolen, but check in the glove box for who was given the keys. Return the car that was stolen to the guy who was given the keys, simple. Stealing is a sin. There is only one church founded by Christ. Christ was born in a town called House of Bread, they laid Him in a feeding trough, in a barn full of animal stink, manure and urine smell, rodents and fleas, THAT is quite a scandal as a place for a king. He endured the smell and conditions as an example of humility and submission to the authority of His Father. The humble God gave the keys to a fisherman, DO NOT STEAL FROM THE HUMBLE GOD. Do not take from His keeper of the keys.
Not really as what would be the Roman Catholic church was excommunicated first in AD 1054 and that was agreed upon by the other Patriarchs thus severing Rome from Apostolic Succession as it was severed from the whole Church (Katholiki Ekklesia). It was a local church before then with primacy of honor as Rome was once the seat of the Emperor. It did not hold the reigns for Apostolic Succession as all Bishops descend from St. Peter in authority. Therefore, no, the Holy Mysteries did not come from Rome at all.
how? Christ founded His Church (now split into Catholic and Orthodox), the Baptists started 1600 odd years after Christ Ascended based on un Biblical teachings
It isn't. It's a far departure from the Ekklesia tou Christou (Church of Christ). There is really nothing left of Christianity in it, just Protestantism.
You were never Catholic my brother because if you really would have become a true Catholic you would never have left You don't have the apostolic succession (POPES) Catholics do! You don't have martyrs that founded your church ....the Catholic church has thousands of martyrs You don't have our lord Jesus Christ appearing through out history to people that became saints ....(Saint Francis of Assisi) (Saint Juliana) (Saint Lutgarde) (Saint Mechtilde) (Saint Gertrude) (Saint Catherine) (Saint Teresa) (Saint John of the cross) the list is too long You don't have Marian apparitions through out history ....the Catholic church has 386 confirmed the most famous are (Guadalupe) (Fatima) (Lourdes) (Akita) (Medugorje) the list is long You don't have Saints performing miracles through out history we have over 10,000 Saints (curing diseases) (raising the dead) (gift of prophesies) You don't have the (Shroud of Turin) (the sudarium) (true cross) (crown of thorns) (the holy lance) (the pillar) and many other relics ...We have them in our Catholic churches I can go on and on but there's not enough space to write everything about the Catholic Church the one and only true Church
Johnny D the Orthodox Church is like the Jewish Pharisees that crucified Jesus because of their pride they didn’t want to believe that he was the Messiah and the orthodox don’t believe that the Catholic Church is the true church because of pride and that my brother is your greatest sin
i am Catholic but must disagree with some of what you say, the Church was ONE for the first thousand years so we share the early martyrs. also the Orthodox bishops DO have apostolic succession. BUT for me I agree that at Walsingham, Knock, Lourdes, Fatima etc etc Our Lady appeared in Catholic countries to Catholics. sometimes (e.g. Akita) in a non Catholic country BUT to a Catholic. ***Ave Maria***
@@marcokite yes we were one but they separated themselves and one of the main reasons was that the priests wanted to stay married (they wanted to have sex)( carnal love ) This was revealed to a Saint (but the Virgin Mary when she was taken to heaven told God that it was not correct that a priest should touch the Holy Eucharist (to touch God himself) after having relations with his wife. The Catholic church was a thousand years old before it definitively took a stand in favor of celibacy in the twelfth century at the second Lateran Council held in 1139 when a rule was approved forbidding priests to marry
📙 FREE eBOOK on the wisdom of modern Orthodox Christian elders:
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I was a traditional roman catholic until I became Orthodox 11 years ago. It's been great!
So was I...!
Yes. No moral demands anymore...
So was I. Now I’m a Catechumen
Read prophetic perspective on covid19 by Dr Ben Vatican to understand
I have realized lately that being born a Christian and an Orthodox is the greatest spiritual blessing.
Thanks to God...Amen!
No one is born a Christian
Read prophetic perspective on covid19 by Dr Ben Vatican to understand
@@SBR-uu9jk Exactly 💯
@@SBR-uu9jk Exactly. We're all converts.
Christ is risen! I am georgian, I live in Sochi, I became in orthodox 7 years ago, and I find it very great. Before that I was learning buddism, reading Kuran, but I made sure - Orthodox is the truth!
Else, I want to say, that georgians is the most anciant orthodox people in the world, because we have accepted orthodoxy 1700 years ago.
Sorry for my English, I hav been learning it only for six month ago).
Glory to God for everything!
He is Risen indeed! Great to hear from you, David! Your English is very good for only six months...I love your country, btw!
I recognize the problem of too much intellectualism. I was raised protestant and then became an atheist for decades. I could perfectly express why I didn't believe with well thought out arguments. I could also easily dismantle any arguments from apologetics and refute it.
Then, recently, I visited an Orthodox monastery and had a religious experience, and a floodwave of emotions came bursting in. My atheism had zero "defenses" against that, nor a satisfactory explanation, other than that it's a misfiring of neurons in my brain.
I don't really understand what has happened or what direction I should go in, but I know that I am no longer an atheist.
He hits the nail on the head in one respect. Do not make an idol of the institutional church. Many make the mistake believing one should be a good Christian by being loyal to the church rules, which as he discovered only leads one to their spiritual ruin. Becoming Orthodox opens one eyes to such realities although I see many of my Orthodox friends still seeing things the wrong way. In other words we should only worship one God, Who is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He says it's not in the head but in the body. That is wrong. It's in neither. It's in the spiritual heart. That's what Orthodoxy teaches.
Rod and my family converted it the same year, but from Lutheranism.
Glory to Jesus Christ!
In the Latin liturgy my mind always wandered, and in the Orthodox Liturgy I never have trouble being attentive and feel like I am indeed worshipping God.
Thanks to God!
Novus Ordo liturgy or the Traditional Latin Mass?
Read prophetic perspective on covid19 by Dr Ben Vatican to understand
My spiritual Godmother told me after I became Orthodox that knowledge and wisdom and understanding are connected from the mind to the heart through a spiritual nous, which carries the information from the mind to the heart in time. The information can be good or bad, but it is important to note that Christ dwells in us if we open the door as He says in the Scriptures and let Him eat with us. ☦️
Read prophetic perspective on covid19 by Dr Ben Vatican to understand
This story could apply to millions of others in the West.
It does and it will.
Thousands are coming back to Orthodoxy each month its truly a miracle and the grace of God
Faith + Works !! An Essential Duo for our maddening times... Stay Ancient my friend 🐝
“Desire and Effort must come from you, God will provide the power and result.”
Elder Paisios Mt Athos
☦️ 🐝 ☦️
Love this channel, and I’m looking forward to his book. Thanks once again 👍
This was excellent. ‘We cannot READ our way into the Kingdom.’ Deep. Thank you.
I really enjoyed this episode of this man's journey to Orthodox Christianity.
Thanks to God!
Very honest testimony of his spiritual journey with the Lord. Interesting lesson that Faith has to be in the mind and in the body (actions).
I enjoyed hearing Dreher's thoughts on his journey into Orthodoxy as I am something of a fan of his. I am glad that he put an emphasis on how he saw Catholicism as opposed to trying to make the Orthodox Church somehow seem perfect or something.
Im a catholic and have the same problem. I prefer the intellectual side. But I have a physical job and my body doesn't do as well as it used to. This video has influenced me though. I need to visit orthodoxy.
Have things changed since you originally wrote this comment?
@@nuzzi6620 call it apathy. I'm still Catholic. It's on my bucket list. I'm a shocking procrastinator.
@@antidepressant11 stay Catholic you are in the right place my brother
1.3 billion faithful Catholics (and growing) can't be wrong it is the one true church founded by Jesus Christ himself
Orthodox Christians are declining rapidly why is God permitting this because it's not the true church
(Ask yourself these questions)
Why has Jesus Christ appeared only to the Catholic faithful
Why has the Virgin Mary appeared only to the Catholic faithful
Why have the Archangels appeared only to the Catholic faithful
Why have the Saints appeared only to the Catholic faithful
Why are all of Jesus Christ 12 Apostles buried under Catholic churches and not orthodox churches
The answer is simple and common sense will tell you its because Jesus Christ only founded One Holy Catholic Apostolic church
(ONE) THE CHURCH IS ONE. THIS MEANS THAT IT IS A SINGLE, UNITED AND GLOBAL CHURCH WHICH HAS ITS BASIS IN CHRIST JESUS.
(HOLY) THE CHURCH IS HOLY, BECAUSE IT IS THE BODY OF CHRIST WITH JESUS AS THE HEAD
(CATHOLIC) Greek KATHOLIKOS, Latin CATHOLICUS, MEANING! UNIVERSAL! The first use of Catholic was by the church father Saint Ignatius of Antioch in his letter to the Smyrnaeans (circa 110 AD)
(APOSTOLIC) THE ORIGINS AND BELIEFS OF THE CHURCH STARTED OUT WITH THE APOSTLES AT PENTECOST
@UCTBAyFWZw27S8lk5I0mkvUA so numbers are what determine truth now? You might want to rethink using that as an argument, since islam is the fastest growing religion, and is projected to surpass Christianity by 2050, and mohammedans actually use that to argue islam is true. Also, about the 'faithful' part, coming from a mexican (Mexico's the second largest Catholic country in the world), trust me, millions of catholics aren't faithful, and even if they were, it would prove nothing more than colonialism done right (which btw, Francis invites all of Europe to repent of). Also, Catholicism isn't growing, actually, in Mexico is decreasing and protestants or simply atheism are taking over (I believe this is also true for Brazil and many other Latin American countries).
About the apparitions and saints, the Orthodox also have many saints through whom the Lord does many miracles in the very recent decades. And the fact that the holy relics of the Apostles are in some place doesn't indicate anything.
Finally, by looking at the state of the Catholic church since the middle of the past century and especially today, I'd say there are many signs they aren't the true church, pachamama is a great example, as well as the liturgical reforms that have allowed for the appearance of some of the most heinous and blasphemous 'liturgies', which I know aren't the majority, but the very fact that those appeared and aren't sanctioned is telling.
Very interesting. Especially as a recent convert myself.
I love the point he makes when he said that he read his way into Catholicism, but that wasn't the case for Eastern Orthodoxy.
I am highly intelligent also an author and researcher I always felt my place was to study. I will peel potatoes everyday at the soup kitchen if they need me in the morning. The Lord comes to us through our spirit and our works. I too became Catholic and felt dead inside and then I discovered Orthodoxy as being number one the true church and number to the only sect that could answer my questions! :-)
Raised a Catholic , recurved the Sacraments before 2nd Vatican council , Received into the Orthodox Church 30 yrs ago . Never looked back .
This is interesting. I converted from Eastern Orthodoxy to Catholicism in 2006, the same year this gentleman converted from Catholicism to Orthodoxy :)
That's sad, why to Roman Catholicism?
Thanks for sharing your story
I am a Christian and totally reject Catholicism and I have spent some time in the Anglican Church. Although, I prefer Anglicanism I am still searching for a church that I can belong to. I am a linguist and am loving learning Russian. There is a Russian church very near to where I live in London but attending services is difficult because of Covid-19. I hope to travel to Russia at some point and experience the faith first hand. ☦️🙏
And by the by, Mr. Dreher’s book, The Benedict Option is fantastic .... I finished it this morning. Very insightful, a book that one should read slowly, with pause and contemplation. It is definitely top shelf....
☦️🐝☦️
Great interview and interesting story
Cradle Roman Catholic: What’s with the self-destructive desire to mimic the Episcopal church?
(anything goes) Victim of Vatican II. I just got out in time! Converted to the Orthodox Church by God’s Grace!
Glory to God!
But you now accept adultery and contraception and have no moral unity. How convenient!
i agree but i go to SSPX so still within the Catholic Church. of course Pope Francis doesn't make it easy
@@johnkehoe1067 We don't believe in either of those things. Strawmen make you look bad as it's bearing false witness.
Amen 🙏
Oh my, this guy has it so wrong. As Catholics, we love our Orthodox brethren. I ventured off into Orthodoxy briefly, attended catchesis, Divine Liturgy, fasted and prayed as the orthodox do. All beautiful things. They were very Catholic in that sense, but something was off and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. You can argue theology all day, but one thing that can't be argued is the fruits of each tree. On the catholic side, I noticed they never spoke negatively about Protestants or orthodox Christians (sure, there's always the few nuts who are hateful in every religious group), but the vast majority (98%) were totally loving toward them. Meanwhile, what many orthodox and Protestants have in common is their vehement hatred for catholics. And no, this isn't a tiny minority. I've never experienced such harsh discrimination, hateful glares, and uncalled for mistreatment in my life than when I attended an Orthodox Church. They openly shunned me for simply being Catholic. Ultimately they threw me out in the middle of Divine Liturgy, and banned me from ever coming back. I was totally peaceful and kept to myself, without any provocation whatsoever. You see, the Spirit of God is love, which is a gathering force; while the demonic scatter and divide Christians. That was ultimately the difference, and why I thank God I remained Catholic. That spirit of pride, bitterness and hatred would've killed me off spiritually if I remained with the orthodox.
Sorry but I can't believe the church threw you out. We accept muslims if they are willing to convert.
Isn't it a blasphemy to believe that a man (any man) is infallible? Infallibility is God's attribute!
Of course the whole Church, the mystical body of Christ is infallible, because Jesus Christ is infallible! For this reason Orthodoxy is expressed and declared in Ecumenical Councils!
As an Orthodox Christian, I'm sorry if what you described genuinely happened. Like everywhere else, there are good and bad people in Orthodoxy, and you may have been unfortunate to come across an unaccepting bunch. However, do not let this singular experience lead you to make generalised conclusions about Orthodox faith and all its people. After all, I'm sure many Christians had similar experiences to yours with the Catholic church. I pray that all your future encounters with Orthodoxy will be in Christ and love. God bless!
@@willmartin5183 nobody of them you've mentioned above was ever infallible! THE HOLY SPIRIT OUR LORD, WHO INSPIRED THEM, IS INFALLIBLE!
Of course the whole Church is infallible, because It is the mystical body of our infallible Saviour Jesus Christ!
Therefore the whole Church has infallibly chosen those particular texts to be the books of New Testament!
Therefore the whole Church infallibly declared the infallibility of those particular writtings!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me!
Since you're basing your argument off of your personal experience, I'm not sure how you can say that Dreher is incorrect for speaking about his personal experience of Catholicism? FWIW, your experience of Orthodoxy does not sound like anything I have encountered...
Wonderful! Thank you
Exactly my experience. Catholicism for me became a 'scholar's religion'. It's sublime as a theory, but did not Christ become a man to free us from theory?
Jesus came to fulfill the Law, not abolish it.
no He did not, if you abandon theory you end up with 28,000 different protestant churches. we are body and soul. both Catholics and Orthodox have the spiritual and intellectual sides. it is not either/or
I was a Roman Catholic for a decade before coming Eastern Orthodox!
Greeting my Christian brothers and sisters. In my opinion, he could have approached it different as a Catholic and not overly focused on Intellectualism and he'd still be a Catholic while at the same time being a faithful Christian and walking with Christ. For any who may have got the wrong idea from this video, an exaggerated focus on Intellectualism is not a requirement of Catholicism, and also interestingly as a Catholic you do not have to, nor or you asked to leave your brain at the door. God bless friends!
God calls various people in a various ways to His Church. Every single one of us is a unique person and call that this brother experienced may not be the same as the call to the other converts into Orthodoxy.
He is Catholic, just not Papal. He is walking with Christ and Christian.
We don't leave our brains at the door as Orthodox. That's rude of you. Then you say God bless after being condescending, that's pride.
🙏
It's not over. The abuse is still happening.
Develop a personal relationship with Christ daily so you’ll know truth from error. Give all the glory to Christ not a church.
John 14:6
Isaiah 12:2
Except Jesus Himself established a Church. The Church is*His* Body
The Church is the Body of Christ. Therefore we have our relationship with God as we are the Church. He is the Head of the Church. That's true relationship. "Me and my Bible alone" isn't.
I am considering the change. Problem. No orthodox church near where we are moving to in South Carolina. As much as that it appears to me the Roman Catholic church is about rules and canon lawyers.
It can be challenging in the States, alas. For a decade, my family drove 1 1/2 hours each way to church(!) That said, it was well worth it (but, clearly, far from ideal). Have you tried using: www.orthodoxyinamerica.org ?
@@ProtectingVeil It appears we, my handicapped adult son and I, will be about 40 minutes away. Won't stop home and online study.
Cool haircut! Greetings from Romania!
Sound is bad
I was almost born orthodox 😊
Al schismatics and heretics once were faithful catholics... the thing is that they are divided among them, for example Moscow Patriarchate is in schism with Constantinople Patriarchate, Jerusalem Patriarchate is in no communion with Antiochy Patriarchate. and what to say about all heretic churches of the reformation.
But yet the Roman church was cast off (excommunicated first) from the Orthodox Catholic Church making it schismatic. It then made parallel jurisdictions which schismatic bodies do.
There is no schism inside the Church, it's cessation of commemoration and happened a lot in the first millennium when Rome was in the Church still.
Очень интересно!
Becouse our god become in with sint mariam.
Thank you ask me the qestion our orthodex tewahdo this is the first of religion in the world.
Anyone and everyone never say you don't belong in a soup kitchen!
“Why do we need to go to the Sacrament of Confession and not just ask for forgiveness for our sins?” Answer: Why should you clean your body with baby wipes and not take a shower?
That doesn't make sense, bad metaphor.
@@kevinmorgan8534 How about Scripture calling for a confession in James 5,16... ?
@@kevinmorgan8534 It works.
But Ive still got this mental block about Orthodoxy. It feels foreign and strange. Long bearded eastern Europeans ? Greeks? Russians? Im of anglo Irish descent. I would feel a traitor leaving that behind.
Check out the channel of fr. Spyridon Bailey. :)
My brother if you are Irish ☘️ then you are Catholic don’t leave the one true church
That’s what Greeks felt that it was Jewish sect, and later Russians that they were taking “Greek” religion. When Russians learned about it and converted it became their faith and no longer Greek. Orthodoxy is the truth and it’s not about ethnicity, but relationship with God.
Anglo Irish were orthodox before turning Catholic, then Anglican...
Yes. Orthodoxy is not universal/catholic anymore, just a loose federation of national churches infighting...
Clearly he never understood Catholicism. How could he go from accepting papal primacy, permanence of marriage, sinfulness of contraception, etc., to rejecting such things just because of the human deficiency of some priests?
1 Orthodox accept papal primacy but reject papal supremacy. 2 permanence of marriage is the Orthodox teaching as much as it is the Latin teaching. The difference is the Latin Church accepts divorce by deciding the marriage never "actually" took place due to one or both parties being deficient from the beginning and grants an anullment. The Orthox on the other hand accept that humans are fallen and sometimes the participants "destroy" the marriage and it no longer exists. The difference between the two is acknowledging at what point in the marriage was the marriage broken. Regarding contraception in the Orthodox faith, abstinence and NFP are the norm (just like the Catholic faith) but in rare circumstances non abortifacient contraceptives may be used with specific permission from ones spiritual father. It is pretty clear Mr. Dreher had an exemplary understanding of what the Catholic Church teaches and what it practices.
It wasn’t a little deficiency of a few priests...it was a massive issue over many years, covered up by the church
Roman Catholics do not believe in permanence of marriage.
Orthodoxy says it happened and ended, we must acknowledge this sin; due to hardness of heart, it ended after all attempts to save it. Repentance and healing ensues.
Papal Catholics get married, get civilly divorced, then contact a tribunal who reviews the case and finds a loophole more often than not, then declare the marriage never having happened no matter how long the marriage was and children had. Another marriage can happen and as long as loopholes are there, an annulment can happen. It's all about money as annulments bring in money. One can never know if s/he is married in RCism. There's no healing and repentance.
We believe in Bishop of Rome's primacy, not supremacy.
Contraception is not allowed. There is rare oikonomia that is none of our business, it's between God, a spiritual father and the married couple.
You need to actually look into Orthodoxy instead of Papalist ideas of what we believe. I actually studied RC beliefs compiled by RCs to come to my conclusions.
@@maplenook That also made me leave the RCC while in the RCIA, that and the bloody history and nonsensical teachings that developed over time.
Sounded kinda dumb to me. He said he learned his lesson and does not make an idol of the institutional church now he is Orthodox, but he left the Roman Catholic Church because he had made an idol of it and the abuse scandal made him fed up.
So was the problem the Catholic Church or him?
Rod's problem seems to be that he confuses the Church as the Body of Christ (the Catholic Church) with the institutional (Catholic) Church
We don't believe in an invisible universal church, so no he's not confused. We believe the Orthodox Catholic Church is the Church, it's visible. The Papalists believe their institution is the Church of Christ though it broke from us.
In Eastern things, I'm quite partial to Maronites, a group unknown to google spell checking, which speaks volumes. As for Latin Rite Catholic things I was one until.... wait! ...... I still am! This guy lost it because of Judas and scandal and likely liturgical issues and various baggage he acquired along the way, including his self catechesis. As for the makers of scandal, well, there are some millstones just waiting for a a few necks, and some deep waters to test their buoyancy. He said there would be scandal - why the shock? Betrayal is that it? Peter denied Him, Judas sold Him, and NOBODY, save the Virgin has anything to brag about, not one.
I think the Jesus prayer the Orthodox ought to pray is the one in the garden, try repeating that one. "Father that they may all be ONE...SO THAT the world will believe".......apparently translated as yada yada yada in some bibles.
All Orthodox Churches are mere forerunners of Protestants, kind of knuckle dragging Protestant, Protestant Version 1. Whereas the fully evolved species regardless of the evolutionary timetable are the Unitarians. In between you run the gamut of various national churches from Greek Orthodox, to Russian or whatever. National churches 101, then you get into the other part of the species where the knuckle dragging goes from all fours to two legs, now that took German engineering of course: Luther. From their the bug spread until it fell into the hands of old Henry the VIII, a man never short on libido. Henry, seeing all the various things going on and such did his own libido enabling thing. Sex has a lot to do with it, as you can see throughout history. Even to the tune of 3 billion in lawsuits in the US Catholic Church. Quite a world-class scandal, and a juicy legal target. What's not to like for lawyers and the news media?
Frankly, I can get all the scandal I need looking in the mirror, you can look in a mirror and get all you need there too. Christ started exactly ONE and only ONE church, he gave the keys to Peter. Peter is found in Rome. Now, you may want to joy-ride around in the Lord's car, to which only Peter has the keys. But, you are stealing.
Christ was born in a barn, not a perfume parlor. If you think your soul does not have some stink, then you should check yourself for spiritual covid because your sense of smell is not functioning. If you think you can joy-ride in Jesus's car while He's gone just because some guys hot-wired it, well, think harder. Now it's true, some have been joy-riding in that car for so long they don't think it's stolen, but check in the glove box for who was given the keys. Return the car that was stolen to the guy who was given the keys, simple. Stealing is a sin. There is only one church founded by Christ. Christ was born in a town called House of Bread, they laid Him in a feeding trough, in a barn full of animal stink, manure and urine smell, rodents and fleas, THAT is quite a scandal as a place for a king. He endured the smell and conditions as an example of humility and submission to the authority of His Father. The humble God gave the keys to a fisherman, DO NOT STEAL FROM THE HUMBLE GOD. Do not take from His keeper of the keys.
@zedd Key thievery is a crime against the king.
The Roman Communion is falling quickly in the last millennium after its excommunication from the Church.
I hope these comments know that the only reason they can call all there sacraments valid is because of the Catholic Church
Not really as what would be the Roman Catholic church was excommunicated first in AD 1054 and that was agreed upon by the other Patriarchs thus severing Rome from Apostolic Succession as it was severed from the whole Church (Katholiki Ekklesia). It was a local church before then with primacy of honor as Rome was once the seat of the Emperor. It did not hold the reigns for Apostolic Succession as all Bishops descend from St. Peter in authority. Therefore, no, the Holy Mysteries did not come from Rome at all.
Baptist is just as good
how? Christ founded His Church (now split into Catholic and Orthodox), the Baptists started 1600 odd years after Christ Ascended based on un Biblical teachings
It isn't. It's a far departure from the Ekklesia tou Christou (Church of Christ). There is really nothing left of Christianity in it, just Protestantism.
@@marcokite It isn't split as Christ can't be split. The Roman church was excommunicated sadly so it is outside of the Church.
This man gave into Satan - the temporal church is of man, the spiritual of God.
Yet God has created His "temporal" Church to safeguard His flock...
@@johnnyd2383 not quite, He gave man free will to make a choice. the temporal church is the sum total of those choices. Many were not good.
@@RantzBizGroup Matthew 16,18
@@johnnyd2383 read it again, very carefully, and pay close attention to the variance between Peter and the "rock."
@@RantzBizGroup Peter means "rock"... where does the term petrified come from.? Still the preamble of that verse does not nullify what follows... ;o)
You were never Catholic my brother because if you really would have become a true Catholic you would never have left
You don't have the apostolic succession (POPES) Catholics do!
You don't have martyrs that founded your church ....the Catholic church has thousands of martyrs
You don't have our lord Jesus Christ appearing through out history to people that became saints ....(Saint Francis of Assisi) (Saint Juliana) (Saint Lutgarde) (Saint Mechtilde) (Saint Gertrude) (Saint Catherine) (Saint Teresa) (Saint John of the cross) the list is too long
You don't have Marian apparitions through out history ....the Catholic church has 386 confirmed the most famous are (Guadalupe) (Fatima) (Lourdes) (Akita) (Medugorje) the list is long
You don't have Saints performing miracles through out history we have over 10,000 Saints (curing diseases) (raising the dead) (gift of prophesies)
You don't have the (Shroud of Turin) (the sudarium) (true cross) (crown of thorns) (the holy lance) (the pillar) and many other relics ...We have them in our Catholic churches
I can go on and on but there's not enough space to write everything about the Catholic Church the one and only true Church
Everything you have listed is in vain since you do not have the True Faith.
Johnny D the Orthodox Church is like the Jewish Pharisees that crucified Jesus because of their pride they didn’t want to believe that he was the Messiah and the orthodox don’t believe that the Catholic Church is the true church because of pride and that my brother is your greatest sin
@@davidgs400 Here is the list of the changes required before you can call yourself The Church: ruclips.net/video/r_Y-e3RyF9s/видео.html
i am Catholic but must disagree with some of what you say, the Church was ONE for the first thousand years so we share the early martyrs. also the Orthodox bishops DO have apostolic succession. BUT for me I agree that at Walsingham, Knock, Lourdes, Fatima etc etc Our Lady appeared in Catholic countries to Catholics. sometimes (e.g. Akita) in a non Catholic country BUT to a Catholic. ***Ave Maria***
@@marcokite yes we were one but they separated themselves and one of the main reasons was that the priests wanted to stay married (they wanted to have sex)( carnal love )
This was revealed to a Saint (but the Virgin Mary when she was taken to heaven told God that it was not correct that a priest should touch the Holy Eucharist (to touch God himself) after having relations with his wife.
The Catholic church was a thousand years old before it definitively took a stand in favor of celibacy in the twelfth century at the second Lateran Council held in 1139 when a rule was approved forbidding priests to marry
Wonderful! Thank you