I have recently received multiple inquiries into the details of my journey from Roman Catholicism to Eastern Orthodoxy. Some folks are simply interested in my story, others are considering a conversion of their own. Some ask seeking a debate. This being the case, I thought it was probably high time I explained my path, what led me to this conversion and the reasoning behind my choice. Unfortunately this isn’t an explanation that I can quickly offer and it likely wouldn’t fit in a note, so I am writing it here in post form.
I want to be very clear, this post is not meant to be an apologetic. I have no interest in “convincing” anyone to become Orthodox, nor do I have any interest in conducting an apologetics debate with Roman Catholics who disagree with my choice. I have spent almost 20 years researching this decision, I fully understand the theology behind my choice and I am convicted in my decision to convert to Eastern Orthodoxy. I also don’t believe that our salvation is or should be anyone else’s concern. I leave the “saving” of souls to the door-to-door evangelicals, or those found standing on street corner soap boxes, screaming bible versus into a megaphone for passers-bye. As an Orthodox Christian (and even as a former Roman Catholic) I have always been taught to focus on what’s on my plate and not look at my neighbor’s.
I also fully understand that whenever these topics are raised, people tend to get very emotional and I know that matters of faith are deeply personal to all Christians. Nobody wants to be told that their faith is wrong or that their salvation is in question. I am not making any such claims. This is simply a response to those who are curious as to why I made the decision I made. These are my reasons and mine alone.
I already know that by choosing to explain my rationale, I will likely lose a few friends, followers and/or subscribers. I certainly hope that is not the case. I have made many new friends since starting this blog a couple months ago, and I value the relationships I have formed, and continue to foster here. My objective is not to offend, and I would much prefer to simply “agree to disagree” on that which we differ, while remaining cordial and respectful of our unique choices and celebrating those things that we do have in common.
A Little Background
The first thing people should know is that for me, this was a conversion that was over two decades in the making. My circumstances tend to be a little different than those of other converts. My family has been in a bit of a "schism" of our own for about 20 years. My siblings (brother and sister and their families) chose to leave the Roman Catholic (Novus Ordo) Church where we were all raised in the 90's, and they converted to Sedevacantism. Both my siblings, their spouses and their children renounced the Pope, renounced all Vatican II teachings and started attending Traditional Latin Mass at SSPX churches. My parents remained in the Post Vatican II (Novus Ordo) Church, as did my wife and I.
Like my siblings, I had many issues with the direction the Catholic Church was moving, and I took issue with the leadership of the Pope, as well as the Conference of Catholic Bishops and other governing bodies. Unlike my siblings however, I could not bring myself to leave the Church I was raised in. I also did not want to abandon my parents in their faith, as they were the only remaining Novus Ordo believers in my family. Additionally, I didn't see the point in renouncing the Pope while still calling myself a Catholic. It didn't seem logical to denounce a foundational pillar of the faith (Papal Infallibility and Papal Supremacy) while still identifying as a Roman Catholic. Nor did it seem logical to remain Roman Catholic while jumping to a sect that was in schism with Rome. I knew that if I was going to make a move, it was going to be to Orthodoxy. However we weren’t quite ready to make that conversion yet. I first needed to research all of the doctrinal and dogmatic differences... I needed to know that I fully agreed with any theological differences that existed between the two faiths.
What I found in my research over nearly two decades was that the Eastern and Western Rites had much more in common than what separated them. The two primary discrepancies between the Rites is 1.) The Filioque, and 2.) Papal Infallibility. There are other distinctions, but honestly I found most of them to be quite pedestrian in nature compared to the two primary points of contention. Original Sin, the Immaculate Conception of Mary, Purgatory and the allowance of Priests to marry being the bulk of the other discrepancies. For me, and for my family, the issue of Papal Primacy vs. Papal Supremacy is and has been a sticking point for a very long time.
Papal Infallibility
The main problem with the Catholic Church in my opinion, is that it has structured itself, for centuries, entirely on the idea of Papal Infallibility, to the point that when this dogma is debunked, the entire house of cards begins to fall. And this is an issue that many, many Catholics I know are struggling with at this very moment. They cannot bring themselves to agree with much of the ecumenism and liberalism that is infiltrating the upper levels of their Church, but they also cannot bring themselves to admit that the leadership is and has been deeply flawed for a very long time. Since long before the sex scandals and subsequent coverups made it obvious.
"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it."
~ Matthew 16:18
The problem here, is that if you believe that the Chair of St. Peter is now vacant, then ipso facto, the gates of Hades have indeed prevailed. This entirely contradicts Scripture, which we also know cannot be contradicted. Either the Chair of Saint Peter is now vacant, and Papal Infallibility has always been a myth, or the Pope is legitimate, which means the current state of the Roman Catholic Church is also legitimate. Catholics are now in a position where they must either accept the fact that Papal Infallibility has either always been incorrect, or they have to embrace Pride flags and gay blessings in their churches. It simply cannot go both ways. This summarizes why I could not possibly have remained in the Western Church. The dogma of Papal Infallibility, when paired with the current scourge of ecumenism that is plaguing the Roman Catholic Church, is the primary reason why I (me and my family) chose to convert to Orthodoxy. But these are not the only reasons.
Reverence and Solemnity
As I mentioned earlier, while the role of the Pope is the primary motivation for our conversion, it is certainly not the only factor. For the last two decades, my family has been seeking a more reverent, more solemn, more respectful form of worship than that which can be found in the modern Roman Catholic Church. We did (and still do) find the Traditional Latin Mass to be beautiful, and certainly more beautiful than the Novus Ordo Mass, but we don’t feel that it provides an atmosphere that rivals what we have discovered in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
What we have discovered in the Orthodox Liturgy, in my opinion, is the most beautiful form of worship I have ever encountered. The Orthodox Church celebrates the Liturgy as it was celebrated over 2000 years ago. You won’t find 12 year old girls in the shortest of mini skirts which reveal their underaged ass cheeks. You will not encounter parishioners who treat the “Mass” like a giant coffee clutch where they go to meet friends and acquaintances and catch up on the latest gossip. You won’t encounter irreverence of any kind during the consecration of the Body and Blood of Christ. You won’t encounter priests making Super Bowl jokes in their homilies or complaining about Church politics or the local Diocesan Bishop who is making them work too hard. In short, the Orthodox Divine Liturgy is a sacred and blessed event each and every week, and this is an opinion shared by most everyone who attends.
History and Education
Another aspect of the Orthodox faith that you begin to discover when you pursue conversion to Orthodoxy is something that most Roman Catholic Churches probably don’t want to admit. There is a level of education, specifically regarding Church history, that Catholics don’t pursue during children’s Religious Instructions or Adult RCIA classes, likely because digging into this Church history would open a can of worms they likely don’t want to face. In my opinion there is a vast education gap between the Eastern and Western Church. Whereas the Roman Catholic Church is very much about teaching from both Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as well as the Vatican Councils, they are not very interested in teaching about the Seven General Councils or the writings of the Church Fathers.
Once you start to dig into this subject matter however, you begin to realize a few inconvenient truths that explain why these topics are all but taboo in the Western Church. You begin to realize that the Orthodox Church did not in fact split from the Roman Catholic Church, as Rome would have you believe, but that it was very much the other way around. The Orthodox Church is the original Universal Church. We recite the Creed as it was originally recited, We approach the Trinity as it was originally understood. These were not changes that the Eastern Church implemented, these changes that eventually led to the East West Schism was instituted by Rome. It was Rome that split from the norm, and they have been further splintering ever since, which explains what we are currently seeing in the state of the Catholic Church today.
If you are interested in a very complete and comprehensive explanation of the theological differences between Eastern orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, I HIGHLY recommend the following video from Father Josiah Trenham. In this video, Father Trenham explains some of the common misconceptions, largely due to the education gap in the Roman Catholic Church, that Catholics have of the Orthodox Faith and the history of the Great Schism:
Community
Finally, there is my opinion on the community you will encounter in the Orthodox Church. I spoke about the differences between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church communities in the following piece:
It is worth mentioning again here and now; when one enters the Eastern Orthodox Church seeking conversion, that person should be prepared for a process that takes upwards of 2-3 years to complete. There is a visitor phase, followed by an inquirer phase, followed by a catechumen phase, followed by a neophyte phase… One cannot simply say they want to become Orthodox, take a six week RCIA class and then get baptized or chrismated and start receiving the Eucharist. And the reason for this lengthy process is because it is vitally important that converts understand and fully accept what they are entering into.
The Orthodox faith is more than a set of rules to follow to acquire a passport into heaven. One must be prepared to learn an entirely new way to pray, an entirely new way to view salvation and an entirely new way to embrace their Church community. One must embrace an entirely new relationship with their Priest (Spiritual Father) and their Brothers and Sisters in Christ. And while this new aspect of community was not the driving force behind my conversion, it is definitely the most pleasantly surprising aspect of my conversion now. I cherish my new community in a way that I never expected when I set down this path.
So that is my story. Like I said earlier, I am not providing this explanation in order to win converts, or because I am seeking a debate. While I do not regret my choice, I still have much respect for my Roman Catholic Brothers and Sisters. My entire family is still either Novus Ordo Catholic or Traditional (SSPX) Catholic. At the end of the day, we are still the only two Churches that have an understanding of where Scripture originates. We are still the only two Churches with a full understanding of the Trinity, and we are still the only two Churches that seek communion with the ancient Christian practices. I still believe we have much more in common than that which sets us apart. And my heart still breaks for my Roman Catholic Brothers and Sisters who suffering right now due to the actions of the Vatican leadership. I love my Roman Catholic friends and family, and they will forever be in my prayers.