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Where do you get your authority for knowing who boils in hell and where? I find it funny (sad actually) that orthodox "Christians" always presume to know who burns in hell and who does not. Besides. How do you tell a false "saint" at 9:00 from a true one? I would really like to know what evidence you can forward for a persons heart. Knowing full well you have nothing to go on but hearsay and guesswork. Peace upon your house; In jesus name, amen (matt 10:14)
@@a-sheepof-christ9027 is this guy stupid? the video creator said MULTIPLE TIMES nobody but God knows who "burns" in hell and who doesn't. putting words in people's mouths has to be fun, because you get to argue with yourself. oh, good thing you put a Bible verse at the end of your hate comment, mr protestant "Christian".
@@CHURCHISAWESUM Same, I am in the process of conversion but through learning Orthodoxy my Deus Vultist Ideals have tamed (not gone away) and I want to worship Christ in the way that I see is the true way.
Pretty much described the whole human race. “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
I was raised Protestant, and my husband I considered ourselves baptist. We’re we’re married for 3 months when we realized we weren’t being spiritually fed in the church we were in, and all the feelings of something missing became more apparent. A scandal that happened in our church opened our eyes to the fallacies of many doctrines in Protestantism, namely how the enemy accosts Christian, and can accost them physically as well in our minds. Baptist Protestants especially believe that the enemy, demons can’t mess with a Christian. I felt spiritually lost, and I prayed in tears for God to bring me where He wanted me. My brother-in-law asked us to attend a service at the Orthodox Church near us. We did and I met the priest, who is now my father confessor. I asked many questions, and the more I learned the more I realized, “This is it, this is where God wants me to be.” My husband and I converted, and were baptized Zoe and Martinianos, our son was baptized as well. Nearly a decade later, we are still Orthodox, and the spiritual refuge in Orthodoxy, the growth I have seen, the sins I have battled in my spiritual journey...I have only found such love and humility, spiritual aid, closeness with God, in the Orthodox Church, and here I will stay. Praise be to God who is a chastising Father, a loving Father who will not leave a searching and yearning heart abandoned!
I’m reminded of an old story: Three Jewish men who converted to Christianity were talking, and the purpose for their conversions came up. “I converted for financial reasons,” said the first man, “my boss would only promote fellow Christians. And people are now more likely to do business with me since I have a non-Jewish surname.” “I converted out of love,” said the second man, “not for Christ, but for my now wife. We were so deeply in love, but her father refused to let her marry a non-Christian.” “I spent many years reading the gospels,” said the third man, “and the writings of the Church Fathers. After so long a time, I came to the conclusion that Jesus Christ was the Son and through him is salvation.” The two other men laughed heartily at this, proclaiming loudly: “What are we, gentiles?” Edit: ok, this joke got a lot less hate than I thought.
@@gabrielr4329 Why would I do that if I could just go to a Melkite church? The fact is I like Roman Catholicism and it's part of my culture, a Bishop sinning does not invalidate your entire Church.
Atleast we ain't having a schism with Rome. I mean Moscow is beating the hell out of Constantinople and guess what a new schism in over decades. Unity achieved.
I, too, am Catholic and love these videos. I still think the Catholic Church is the OHCA Church, but I do find the Orthodox position refreshing from time to time. Especially since our Catholic Bishops have scandalized our faith.
What I like the most about this video is that it convinces you to dispense with any sort of idealism or utopianism about the church. We all have our ulterior motives for being a Christian. Being completely honest about it is the first step toward cultivating true humility and thereby true holiness.
Agreed. Part of me felt offended by the myrrh lover. I often navigate to male authority figures. Feminine respect/reverence/attachment? I submit to God. I submit to my husband second. Being a mother and wife in a traditional role brings contentment, grace, humility, and purpose.
To be completely honest, the biggest source of skepticism ive had toward Eastern Orthodoxy as a non-EO Christian is the fact that most sources and people online that I've found have this utopian attitude that "there is absolutely nothing wrong or flawed, we are absolutely perfect and beyond error or criticism."
@Mr. Rich B.O.B 👑 Me either LOL I couldn't think of any reason other than I want to improve in my growth of obedience to God and work towards being as much like Him as I can together with other people who also want this.
I'll be perfectly honest, I got interested in christianity - first Catholicism, then Orthodoxy, as a deus vultist and to a lesser extent a wifehunter (though that was more in the back of my mind). However, at some point, it was like a switch flicked. That bitterness, anger, and fear went away, and my attention snapped to the scriptures. My advice to the Orthodox is not to turn those people away, but to catechize them very well.
You may think it only Matters were you end and Not why you entered? Wrong! The owner of this channel, who thinks he is God himself, decided and judged that this is wrong.
@@k.l.9334 It does matter why you come. Because your Priest needs to know where to make the cuts on the flesh so that you are presentable to God. All these people need Christ.
@@jairiske yea I think his answer was pretty much "I don't know, what they believe seems to be the same thing so I don't get it" I mean as a Catholic, I kind of see it as the same thing with the Filioque, just old language issues which has issues with modern languages.
@@nicodemuseam how i saw it was that it proceeds (procedit) from the Father and Son, how a letter proceeds from sender and mailman, where as the Father is the ultimate source. So its like, both sides are saying the same thing, just differently since i thought the Latin intends that the Father is the only source. Just that its from the Father alone AND can be channeled(proceeding) from the Father through the Son, not necesarily originating . I will check out the lectures though. A Byzantine Catholic and CatholicAnswers site assisted me with this conclusion btw. Id love to learn more though. Oh no... am I a half Catholic?
This is the best video you have made. I say this for 2 reasons. 1) You demonstrate real threats and problems that are posed to the church through our sinfulness and vanity. 2) You have made me consider my own shortcomings and how I may be part of some of these archetypes. I’m sure you are aware of these two goals but I just wanted to express my appreciation for the presented opportunity of introspection. Thank you for the effort you put forth in making this video. I’m very grateful for it. Numbers 6: 24-26
SuperTunadude yea, I’m definitely a star gazer, deus vultist, and a very little bit of a wife hunter. I was drawn to the Orthodox Church because of its commitment to tradition and cannon so of course I loved it being a very traditional person. And I’m a monarchist aswell. I’m not all for crusades and holy wars tho. I just want a good morale country. A “Byzantium that never was” as Bojan puts it lmao
@@magneticweasel1960 I used to think like that. Then I read history and realized how horrific the past was. I wonder just how many Catholics and Orthodox Christians were flotsam as Bojan put it given what's happened in the west.
SuperTunadude I’m an IRISH-Style Deus Vultist, that is, I want Orthodox countries to adopt the Old Irish Earl System, although Eastern tradition calls them “Counts”. But these didn’t function like the Feudal lords throughout Europe. Towns were run by a Peasant mayor democratically elected by the peasants. The Earls, while Hereditary Nobles within each county, democratically elected the King from among themselves. I think all Orthodox should aim for this if the Age of Republics comes to an end.
Awww! At the risk of sounding like a Protestant, I say faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Just pray for it if you want more. Remember this guy: "Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief". :)
As he said in the end, the important thing is doing it for Christ. You can see that all of these things are basically people doing stuff for what they think it want, not for Christ or humanity. God bless, Jesus loves you.
I go through this too. Scripture says "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17. The more I read the Word the more my faith grows.
I talked about this to Father Paisius of St. Herman of Alaska Monastery. Simply put, he told me to let God grow my faith, that He will strengthen and deepen it in His good time and grace. I'm a catechumen, so maybe that works better for me than for you, but it's still good guidance.
My bf taught about orthodoxy ..soon i will be baptised.. .and i am thankful to him beacuse his time in teaching me the truth.... im not gonna become in orthodox for him but because i have known the light finally. 🙏
Existence of all these groups depicted in this video we simply explain as "richness of Orthodoxy". :o))) The fact is that aside from other characteristics, Orthodoxy is also true freedom... meaning that one chooses how far one wants to go in one's relationship with the God. The Church will lead you but will not push you.
@@BibleIllustrated Good question for Christian monarchists: Do you support the King because you love God, or do you love God because you support the King?
@@peopleskingdomofwolcottia My love of God is seperate from my support for the King. The King is just less snake-y and dishonest than the elected official.
Thank you for this channel and videos. I am a protestant (fundamental baptist) considering orthodoxy. I have been diligently studying the scriptures and the church fathers, along with Orthodox Theology. I am both actively studying and also prayerfully using restraint. I firmly believe that if I were to truly make the leap to orthodoxy, I should be fully convinced of its truths, otherwise, as St. Paul wrote of those who feared eating meat sacrificed to idols (despite idols having no power over God), I would sin against my own conscience. I will say this: Orthodoxy, upon deeper study, very much seems to be in accordance with the early Fathers, and it rejects the more radical dogmas that caused the Reformation rebellions (Immaculate Conception, Mary as Co-Redemptrix, the several "devotions" to the Sacred heart of Mary and Jesus, indulgences, and so forth). It is quite refreshing. My father is a baptist pastor, i can only consider him a man of God in the way he has raised me and my family. He loves the Lord and dutifully studies the scriptures, but I am not sure how he would react to my inquiring. (He has only know Catholicism in the past, and one of its most Marian branches, the Spanish Catholic Church), so he might not be too inclined to Orthodoxy at first glance. That being said, I have been teaching him a bit about Orthodoxy and he likes to learn about it. I think i have written too much, just wanted to give thanks, many blessings to you from God, keep it up!
Thank you for calling us out on the superficial reasons we may go to church. From my experience Orthodoxy has been a refuge from the chaos of our society...it's beautiful to worship our Creator within the sacredness of His Church and at the same time obtain healing for our spiritual ailments through fasting, prayer and the Holy Mysteries. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to find an authentic Orthodox Church with a humble and loving spiritual father to guide the flock. Seek and ye shall find 🙏
i think its great, because only the true saints dont have one or more of these traits in themselves, and its good to be honest with yourself and take a long hard look in the mirror.
All I can really say is *oof*! I've been trying to be honest with myself about why I want to convert (still an "inquirer" at this point, though it's been a few years) and this video has given me a lot of pause. The real miracle, though, is that I went through the comments expecting a real dumpster fire and found [mostly] humble responses.🤯🤯🤯
I have been wanting to get this off my chest for such a long time. I'm glad you said it. The "I converted to Orthodoxy because the Anglican church was becoming liberal," is what I can't stand, or "we need to protect our European civilisation and Orthodoxy will help us achieve this." You don't hear "I became Orthodox Christian because I love Jesus and want to be in his Church." Good video brother God bless you.
What's wrong with leaving the Anglican church for becoming liberal? Surely, if the Anglican church was becoming liberal, that's a good sign that it's not holy and you should select something else?
Shamir Kamchi You know, you’re right about that. No one else never says they convert for the right reasons but because this church is bad or this church is bad. Like me. I want to be Orthodox because I do not like how the Catholic Church is going instead of saying “I love God and want to be in his church” but in truth the reason I want to Be Orthodox because I believe the Orthodox Church worships God allot better or something down that line, in a way I think it’s not fair for me to say that because everyone has their own way of worshiping God. Grud I feel guilty now.
@@JaythePandaren Not really. Diversity protects us and you found a form of spirituality that resonates most for you. Just be careful about overly dogmatically introducing ideas. Kinda can contribute to alot of loss of context or not listening to others different from you.
@@JaythePandaren Be in the denomination and structure that brings you closest to God. There really is no "right and perfect way". All denominations proclaim false humility in proclaiming themselves but mere sinners, while simultaneously claiming they are the only real way to Christ. What do I know though? I'm a wandering spirit, lol.
The only reason I became orthodox was because I wondered in for food, but was trapped by grandmothers asking me when I was getting married, my career and if I was interesting in their grandson, Dimitris and wouldn't let me leave the church, ever (cue boss battle music). I joke, I joke. 99% of Orthodox Christians have been like this at some point. As matter of fact I call the over the top, zealousness of new converts hyperdox. We are always righteous in our own eyes a reality check is good for us.
Emily LLoyd this is Post of why it still haven’t had the courage to visit an orthodox service. I’m not in the „Dimitris-category“ any more, but I’m afraid of people offering me coffee and cookies and I don’t know how to say „I’m celiac“ in Russian or Greek. 😅
That's sad that you judge new converts as hyperdox. I was a new convert at one time. I don't think one would have ever judged me as hyperdox? Maybe. But I don't know about that. I do know after 20+ years of being a Protestant that I was starved for God in a way that only the Orthodox Church fulfills. This guy's video nails it on the cultural aspect of church though. The Greek Fest. The "club" atmosphere. The love of hanging out, more than love of God. This drives me nuts.
Hyperdox. Nice. I'm gonna borrow that -- I'll give ya credit, Emily Lloyd. 😂😂😂 I have had to sidestep hyperdoxy because of health issues, as well (re: celiac). Incense = debilitating migraine. God has seen fit to locate me within an hour of only one Orthodox parish -- served by a priest whose own health issues limit his use of incense -- "mysterious ways", indeed....After 5.5 years of inquiry, including 1.5 of formal catechesis, I will be received (God willing) at Pascha. Can't imagine the digestive gauntlet for you at coffee hour -- especially with the aforementioned baklava at a Greek church! 😉 Maybe check out an Antiochian/heavy Arabic or Middle Eastern parish - ? Tahini? Falafel? I am actually (as I type this) taking a break from the final chapter of a little manuscript -- "Adaptive Orthodoxy". How do we maintain the faith unchanged (avoid doctrinal innovation) while meaningfully encountering the postmodern west in inviting ways (translation, adaptation)? Not sure what path that will take, but keep an eye out, if you're interested...?
My parents raised me and my siblings as, Roman Catholic. Recently over the past three, four years my parents converted to Byzantine Orthodox. Honestly, I haven’t been part of the church for years. But I see how happy and accepted my parents are with the church. I’ve gone to service with them twice and I was impressed. The church people are incredibly kind. When the priest does service he preaches “by the grace of god”. No politics, calling people out, or shoving their beliefs down anyone’s throat. All are welcome and accepted....I’m happy there are peaceful churches like this, it’s truly a beautiful experience!
I am just coming into Orthodoxy after several years of inquiry and catechesis. I travel pretty widely and speak with many converts, and experiences like yours seem pretty common, especially among former Roman Catholics, but among some mainline Protestant refugees, too whose communities have become highly politicized, especially in recent decades....So glad you felt welcome. 😌🙏
Nathaniel P. Adams Indeed. And you can read all about his life in the epic poem "The Hungry Trees" which Bojan will post just as soon as he gets around to writing it. A tale of calm green fields and shocking veggicides. Gripping stuff!
Thunder Boys When you're having a bad day and feeling all irritable and agitated, there's nothing quite like a nice walk in the fresh air followed by a nice cup of tea.
Greetings from Russia, Serbian brother! I can say that this video surprised me because I can be called Deusvultist to some extent. It has been almost 1.5 years since I returned to the Church. I was inspired by guys like the Templars, Teutonic Knights, Hospitallers and Lazarits. I wanted to be as pious and strong as they and their images helped me very much the first time. Now I have right or traditional views on life, but I study in one of the most liberal university in Russia and have good relationships with other students, Even I have fundamental or radical views, Im not toxic). But now I consider that our orthodox faith is the most important thing which we have. Of course despite our race or other things that not dependent from us we all brothers and sisters, ideologies are the filthy man's thing. And the last word. You are good at preaching and draw very well. God bless you!
Hello Nikita, thank you for your kind words! What makes deusvultist a deusvultist is precisely their toxicity; I share a lot of deusvultist's countercultural ideas, but I'm not toxic (hopefully!)
@@BibleIllustrated i think you should have made it a bit more clear that the toxicity and smug sense of superiority were the main problems and not holding traditional views. In the video it sounded like you were just saying that not being a liberal humanist is bad
I think good additions to this list would be Nationalist Orthodox (orthodox because it's a symbol of cultural/national and sometimes xenophobic pride) and Political Orthodox (orthodox because they are anti-communist or anti-globalist and as a statement against former Soviet repression)
This wasn’t one of my reasons, but in a way caused me to find the Orthodox Church. I listen to a lot of political podcasts and am an American nationalist myself, and I noticed that a lot of the guys I agreed with politically were “orthodox.” I had never even heard of the church and this caused me to look into it.
Well pray for me as I feel like I'm a logician but I'm trying to get closer to God and have a relationship with jesus, I have been a Catholic but I want to be fully with God, Amen brothers and sisters
I really like the last message of the video, we all have to start somewhere. I have many dumb reasons for not becoming Orthodox in the first place and taking a big detour, just to get back to considering Orthodoxy again! Just started going to a Serbian Orthodox Church in the UK.
I highly recommend you to stay for a few days in the monastery of St. John the Baptist in Tolleshunt Knights - the most respected orthodox monastery in the West. If it's not to far from your place...
I'm not a deus vultist but, I feel like people who dismiss them don't hail from a culture that has a disappearing fatherhood, and targets masculinity as something needing to be exterminated. I'm sure lots of deus vultists are around college age which would explain why after being having white privilege beaten into their heads for 4 years, same with being told that anything other than deviant sexual practices are undesirable that they might be racist or 'homophobic'. Hey, if it came down to brass tacks I wouldn't want to be on the side of the university that's for sure.
Yeah but people have to understand that the reaction to extreme in one direction can also be too extreme in the opposite direction. I think this is why mainstream family sitcoms in the 80s were actually a really good thing that should be brought back. They taught us what normal behavior was.
You would be a stargazer if Byzantine music would be the foundation of your faith. So don't worry about it. I like it too, for the same reasons. But our faith is so much more. God bless you, brother!
@@WilliamBlathras No, doubtful you're a stargazer. Here's a recent observation I made about Gregorian chants, which apparently are Orthodox. I was watching various clips of, The Deer Hunter and during the short clip of the iconic (but very fake) hunting scene in the movie, there is Orthodox chanting music as the sound track. While looking in the comments, most of the comments were loving the soundtrack and wanted to know where to find it. Many were absolutely emphatic about it. So there is some very visceral reaction to this type of ancient chanting, that even non-Christians, non seekers, likely even atheists are very partial to. This video is partly satire, so take it all w/ a grain of salt. It's sort of humourous, but really Really cynical as well. As for this Christian (apparently a wandering spirit), I've always found that chanting to be kind of depressing. Guess I'm a minority there.
I was born and raised Mormon, and after opening my eyes to the truth I went to two pentecostal churches with my wife. They helped, but I felt something was missing. I had to move to find work, and now I'm trying to find my way to the closest Orthodox church to me. Orthodoxy rings truer to me than anything else I've explored, and I've explored just about everything
This was great, I love your sense of humor. Please keep making your videos, I for one appreciate your work. As someone coming into Orthodoxy now in my 40's, stuff like this is actually quite helpful.
I Joined because I proved to myself that my old faith (Jehovah's Wittnesses) is false... I started studying all religions, including non-christian and ended up in Orthodoxy... You could say I am a logician that was never an atheist, but after reading the canons, creeds I realized that I always wanted to be a worshipper of God. That didn't ever change. The thing that changed is that now I know what that means.
If I take steps into Orthodoxy, then I would need the Holy Spirit to create a new heart for me. My ego saw this video as a fun house mirror in which my faults were highlighted. I have an ulterior motive; I see nothing in my heart but sin and am seeking spiritual discipline in order to overcome my part in polluting the world. I seek the Lord in order to overcome my ego and sin.
I am a "logician" and I do not like it. I have accepted in my mind that there has to be a God and that christianity is the true faith but I do not believe at all with my heart. Pray for me to accept God with my heart.
This was a nice, humbling video that'll get people to look at what exactly they want to get out of the church. Saw quite a few bits of myself that need work here, but it's all a part of the journey, and the last thing our lord and saviour would want is for me to get anxious about this. god bless you for posting this.
My Syrian godmother is authentically Orthodox, but since her parents were one each (Orthodox and Catholic), I appreciate her humility and openness about Catholic faithful.
@@HelloHello8D correction, with Ecumenticl partiarchate. The remaining patriarchates are still in communion with Russian orthodox church and are disagreeing with pat. Bartholomeu's activity in Ukraine, which is what had sparked the dispute.
This is my new favorite channel. I just found it and subscribed. I am in the process of converting to Orthodox Christianity and this video has helped tremendously.
I can confidently say I was a star gazer before my conversion, but I am very thankful to God that I have matured, and am pursuing Christ for Christ's sake in His Holy Orthodox church.
This video made me really look inward at myself. I converted to Orthodoxy because I felt lost with my current church and felt like the non-denominational church made me become fairly delusional with it. Once I did become Orthodox, I wanted to plant myself and make sure I wasn't a poster. I refused to take communion that isn't Orthodox and I don't really pray with heterodox Christians. But I definitely needed a video like this as a check up to make sure if I had a loosened root. Thanks.
I wanted to thank you for making this video. With having moderate-severe Autism, there has been a priest (Roman Catholic) that has been mistreating me (not physically) for years because of it. He does this thing acting all accepting in the open, and then makes comments about my condition behind 'closed doors' such as "you do not have to be so technical," and not being allowed to participate in things like music (I have a music degree). He does gas-lighting of pretending to be good trying to mislead people into that before declaring true intention. I am considering leaving the church because of this stuff, clerics and congregation not welcoming people with disabilities despite 'preaching' about sacredness of all life from "womb to tomb." Again, thank you so much, you clarified the situation. I will always be grateful with you helping me finally put a finger on this toxic situation.
blueroses226 Church has many bad people inside even clergy without purity of heart. but this cannot be a reason for you leaving church if you have genuine faith. it would be better to assert your self or change enviroment. leaving religion should be a conscious choice and not a reaction because as a reaction you lose the benefits of attending a faith community as well
@@ariskrataios1783 Thank you. I called the diocese (without broaching yet much of what has bee going on), asking if there is a way to make a proposal for better resources.
I am very concerned about accommodating and inviting people with a wide range of disabilities to participate in the life of the Church. Neurological disability, especially, is common, and in a sensory-heavy environment like Orthodox worship, can be difficult. At the same time, while we need to adapt and translate the faith, we must protect it from harmful innovation that can invite heresy. I have been struggling with this for several years -- writing small manuscript on "Adaptive Orthodoxy". Interested in the thoughts of others with personal experience of this...?
Wow! You just managed to peel back so many layers in one short video. These videos package meaty things in a light digestible package. It left me looking at myself under a microscope. Truly we need the Lord’s mercy! Every one of us.
Interestingly, in the US the "Mafioso" is actually way more common with Catholics than Orthodox. I imagine in Eastern Europe though you might have a few Russian/Serbian Mafia people and prob a few Russian Ransomware hackers lmao
@5:45 saint Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov) has said in his letter for 19th week after Pentecost: "Гнушайтесь убо врагами Божиими, поражайте врагов отечества, любите враги ваша. Аминь." It has been very poorly translated and it is used by deusvultists, but properly translated should be like this: "Shun enemies of God, defeat enemies of fatherland, love your enemies."
I am Catholic. And perhaps for that reason I related to this video which could easily substitute "Catholic " for "Orthodox ". But the reason in any case is to live for and with Christ. Thank you for your insightful video.
I like it that there are so many Catholics here. If we ever want to get back together as one whole Church, it's important that we talk with one another.
@@diedertspijkerboer most Catholics have a great esteem for Orthodox. While I may disagree about the theology and ecclesiology, I do understand some of the points raised by them and I would be an absolute fool if I denied the ancestral beauty of your liturgy and monasticism. I really do love the EO, because after all they are our Sister Church, albeit estranged.
Whoa, this was amazing! I have definitely both experienced from others and struggled myself with some of these things, and it is so helpful to see it spelled out like this to remind us of all the ways that our illness of sin manifests, so that we can recognize the signs and apply the appropriate medicine within the church. Thank you so much for making this and posting!
🙏 for you -- a difficult time, in that it's hard not to be able to go to Church in person in many cases. But, God provides -- and online Church is an "embarrassment of riches" in the Orthodox world these days. Enjoy observation the range of beauty in Christ's ancient worldwide Body! May God guide your journey.... 😌🕯☦😷
@@RandomUserName92840 So well! Although there's been some kinks with my catechetical process, I'm still set to be chrismated next Pascha as far as I'm aware.
"Christ is the only reason" may be true, but it's not that simple. The church has divided twice over certain doctrines where educated theologians have ultimately disagreed. How would I know whether I should remain Oriental Orthodox or become a Chalcedonian? (it's a rhetorical question, I don't want a discussion by those who respond to this comment). You have excluded so many, including the clergy that seem pious, but who then can be saved? Most laymen are loyal to their church because they were born into it and taught its doctrine, you cannot expect all laymen to make an informed decision on the nature of Christ when it takes reading everything from St Cyril to the tome of Leo to St Severus to St John of Damascus to be able to even understand half of why we have ended up here. I agree with what you have said in the video, but I barely see any Christians left after this filtration, and some of us are just confused and uneducated.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hear My word and believes Him who send Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." John 5:24. I encourage you to start by reading the New Testament.
Honestly I don't know and nor does my priest or the elders at church know what Bojan is talking about when it comes to the theological reasons for the Orthodox and Catholic divide. Bring up power and who has and who doesn't and that makes sense.
I personally came back to the Orthodox Church for a number of reasons. I never left like making the decision myself to not be at church but it was a decision because of family issues actually within our parish so as a kid I didn’t really go and was raised without much influence of religion at all. However my interest started to grow in highschool but I was still interested in other religions too. And finally at the age of 23 within the past month and a half or so I was drawn into the church of Christ in fullness. I had been to church a few times before that but the biggest reasons for me to come back was truly everything about the church. The traditionalism, the beauty, the hymns, the sermons, but truly the love of God. And the truth and learning to humble oneself. Do I hope to find a wife within the church? Absolutely. Or find someone willing to come into the church because I know this is the faith. There’s something humbling, and powerful with the Orthodox Church that just to me isn’t found in western Christianity. And like I said it’s just within everything. I’m still learning a lot and still confused at times but I truly see the light of God having opened my heart to him through orthodoxy. Most challenging being thinking of him because he’s not physical. It contradicts what I had truly known up until now but want to continue to learn and to open my heart and really focus on my faith and make it the center of my life. Not just a part of my life
As a Roman Catholic: most of these are truth for the Caholic Church aswell. I myself fit ( or at least did fit at some point ) in some of these, but applied to Roman Catholicism instead of Orthodoxty. Outstanding, truthfull video! God bless!
I saw myself in at least 3 of these and I have met all of these archetypes. As a convert we bring a certain amount of baggage with us. Personally, I have observed that not a lot of clergy and laity of who are mature in their faith to ask converts to check that baggage. Someone asked me to check mine and it worked.
I started my life as a Protestant (mostly Methodism, but have experienced much Lutheranism due to my step father), and have been so for many years. I've been moving my way towards Orthodoxy as the Logician described in the video. That's how I've maintained my belief during times of doubt, which sadly I find come far too often. I once had the fire of the Holy Spirit within me, or at least I think I did. How do I rekindle it? How do I feel His warmth once more?
Hi Derek, I just read your post. Have you found some answers yet? The funny thing is, I think that too much reason and logic has been keeping me from faith.
Wow, I've met a lot of Deusvultists in my time, and it really made me uncomfortable about being Orthodox. It's refreshing to have someone else acknowledge that they're not the end-all-be-all of Orthodoxy. And all of these examples are useful no matter who you are -- we all have periods of each in our lives, I believe.
Interesting. That was the only category that I found entirely foreign. Curious, since I live in an area with many folks who seem to share nearly all the deusvultists' traits except Orthodoxy! Beware of local outreach? Ha.
I am a deusvultist for sure. The culmination of meaninglessness in my life spurred by the approach of my 20th birthday, and all this mass migration making life worse in every way compared to when my country was more homogenous has given me good reason to be one, too. Although, I don't really care about the crusades or monarchism. I've recently come back from a visit to the home of my father's family where it is nearly 100% white while my neighborhood is 80% non white, and it was just... So. Much. Better... In every way. People actually talk to you in stead of exclusively ascociating with their respective "minority" group, people drive better, people are much quieter for fucks sake, the housing price is much lower due to no supply/demand imbalance, you don't have businesses run by ethnocentric foreigners where everybody employed there is conspicuously Indian for example; where they preferably or exclusively shop at their own businesses, trade with their own businesses, hire their own group, all of course at the expense of my currently very non-ethnocentric group... Two birds with one stone; the two biggest sources of bad things in my life.
@@jasonsmith1415 I feel you. It is easy for European based Orthodox Christians to perhaps dismiss the “Deus Vultists” who live in countries quickly being overrun by non-Christians and 3rd worlders. In my parent’s lifetime my country (USA) went from 85+% white Christian to current demographics. And people wonder why some long for “the Byzantium that never was” …..
I have some questions about the Virgin Mary regarding some topics that have troubled me as a Catholic: - Do Orthodox view Mary as mediatrix and co-redemptrix? - Why do Orthodox deny the concept of the Immaculate Conception? Do Orthodox believe Mary lived a sinless life yet was still born with original sin? - Do Orthodox consider Mary to be "Queen of Heaven and Earth?" And, finally, an non-Mary related question: Why is there not a variety of religious/monastic orders in Orthodoxy as there are in Catholicism?
These are fantastic questions. May I recommend the book "The Orthodox Veneration of the Mother of God", by St John Maximovich. It will address a lot of the deeper questions you're asking.
You are hilarious AND very gifted in how you present things. By the way, not sure if you realize this but, the examples you show of people 'types' could be applied to almost any aspect of life...well done! I had to watch 3 times because I kept laughing and then, I subscribed. 👍
Please pray for me, I am an ex Roman Catholic, ex gang member, ex Protestant, ex nondenominationalist, ex reformed, ex Orthodox Catachumen who still loves his sins and is kind of but not really trying to repent of them yet is flirting with Orthodoxy because God is calling me to repentance and I believe it is the correct faith to worship God in and serve Him in as it has been since it’s beginning when Jesus Christ started it. I have said I love God and my neighbor but, it is merely words without actions (demonic faith) and I realize when compared to the Saints of the church in reality I am not a Christian but instead a hypocrite. Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on us all! 🙏
@@BibleIllustrated thank you brother! May God Grant you many years! May He continue to help you in your service to Him and your neighbor. Thank you for your work, it is truly a blessing for us. 🙏
And there is me a nondenominational and a Deist that comes here well knowing of being here simply out of mere curiosity and to study different way of thinking and living
I started attending Orthodox church for the vibes, and then found I was unable to leave because any protestant service now seems deeply disturbing to me. The therapies of the church have become part of my life and I don't see a world where I live without them. Things I struggled with before, I'm still struggling with, but I've actually made progress. There are no inconvenient verses in the Bible anymore since a legion of ancient saints have already explained every passage. It's a relief not having to interpret every verse from scratch anymore and just allowing myself to walk the path that was already blazed by holy ones who came before. I have been an inquirer for 8 years, a catachumen for 1 year, and will be received into the church on this coming Pascha.
I find your honesty here very, very refreshing. This type of thing is only really said in hush tones, in smaller circles, or even just the kind of thing that everyone knows about but doesn't want to talk about. See? Now I find your religion even more exotic, thanks alot
When I was living in New Zealand, in the 70s, a lot of people, if not most converts, were joining the EOC because the Anglican Church was ordaining women or because they were "disgruntled" about something else about the Anglican (or maybe RC) Church. More recently, in the US, because ECUSA was ordaining gays and lesbians. I would have added those to the list of bad reasons for joining.
I remember when my catholic friend started to argue with me about my protestantism because I "left" the "true" church and "removed" books and other things. Thank God I understood church history (my family was Greek Orthodox) and countered with the fact that, if they want to look at it in that perspective... then THEY originally split from orthodoxy and recognize even fewer books than Orthodoxy and removed things they disagreed with too. It's so similar. It's easy for a catholic to point the finger to a protestant when (with that perspective) they did literally the same thing to Orthodox-- lol-- I think Orthodoxy is beautiful and it has helped me in so many ways. Videos like your are such blessings. Thanks for what you do.
As always you are thought provoking. I much prefer your narration. I pray, I do not fit into any of these categories nor may I even assume another Orthodox is as any of those listed. May we always allow the Lord Jesus Christ be the Head of His Holy Orthodox Church.
You've made some very good videos and, as always, this was very sincere and honest. Your devotion is obviously not something that allows you to ignore reality. Thank you for that, even though I may at least partially be guilty of being a few of the personalities you described.
A college friend once told a group of younger guys inquiring about his upcoming wedding that "you get married because you're already married in your heart." I suspect that if "converting" isn't like that, it probably wouldn't "take" any more than marriage would! 😉
It's not really fair to blame a castaway from Catholicism. Most of us just realize that the Pope is a Patriarch gone rogue. Much of the scandals and embarrassments of the papacy could have been avoided if the Pope were beholden to the Church and her other Patriarchs instead of the whole world and all it's sinfulness.
Textbook ecumenist - that’s me. Or at least it would be if I were Orthodox in any sense that you or I would consider truly Orthodox. But I’m just a longtime outside observer. It does seem to my outsider eyes, though, that the flotsam category covers about 80% of all religions.
Is it weird that this is making me relieved that I'm Oriental Orthodox, not Eastern Orthodox, because we don't get nearly as many converts as you guys do? Not that this all still doesn't apply (some of it even more so), but I mean...I've only ever actually met one other convert, and I've found that it is not unusual for non-converts to ask which one of my parents is from the 'Orthodox ethnicity' (neither) or which one of the ladies in the congregation is my wife (none of them), because it is apparently assumed that these are the only ways that people convert. And then when they find out I didn't convert for any ethnic or romantic reasons, they tell other people in the congregation that I'm extra-smart because I found the faith "on my own", which makes me very uncomfortable. I know English is at least their second language (maybe third or fourth), but I don't think that's a good way to put that, as though the Holy Spirit was not involved but instead I did it myself with my fancy intellect! Truthfully I am probably a worse Christian now (when I was RC it wouldn't have seemed strange to not pray the hours or to not fast...), but I would rather struggle here than be more comfortable in a place where I was spiritually starving. And it has been 8 years now, so God-willing I will know whether or not I have avoided the dreaded 'convertitis' by the decade mark (maybe). May God bring me to it. Peace, friends.
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Where do you get your authority for knowing who boils in hell and where?
I find it funny (sad actually) that orthodox "Christians" always presume to know who burns in hell
and who does not.
Besides. How do you tell a false "saint" at 9:00 from a true one? I would really like to know
what evidence you can forward for a persons heart. Knowing full well you have nothing to go
on but hearsay and guesswork.
Peace upon your house; In jesus name, amen (matt 10:14)
@@a-sheepof-christ9027 is this guy stupid? the video creator said MULTIPLE TIMES nobody but God knows who "burns" in hell and who doesn't. putting words in people's mouths has to be fun, because you get to argue with yourself. oh, good thing you put a Bible verse at the end of your hate comment, mr protestant "Christian".
Convert for bad reasons - stay for Jesus.
Amen
This was me. I converted as a Deus Vultist, and God healed me of my angst.
God doesn't exsist!!!!
@@CHURCHISAWESUM Same, I am in the process of conversion but through learning Orthodoxy my Deus Vultist Ideals have tamed (not gone away) and I want to worship Christ in the way that I see is the true way.
Stay for Holy Trinity - orthodoxy
Pretty much described the whole human race.
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Yup, that! :-)
Yes, but there’s also some good people and I like to think humanity is more complex than that:3
I was raised Protestant, and my husband I considered ourselves baptist. We’re we’re married for 3 months when we realized we weren’t being spiritually fed in the church we were in, and all the feelings of something missing became more apparent. A scandal that happened in our church opened our eyes to the fallacies of many doctrines in Protestantism, namely how the enemy accosts Christian, and can accost them physically as well in our minds. Baptist Protestants especially believe that the enemy, demons can’t mess with a Christian.
I felt spiritually lost, and I prayed in tears for God to bring me where He wanted me. My brother-in-law asked us to attend a service at the Orthodox Church near us. We did and I met the priest, who is now my father confessor. I asked many questions, and the more I learned the more I realized, “This is it, this is where God wants me to be.”
My husband and I converted, and were baptized Zoe and Martinianos, our son was baptized as well. Nearly a decade later, we are still Orthodox, and the spiritual refuge in Orthodoxy, the growth I have seen, the sins I have battled in my spiritual journey...I have only found such love and humility, spiritual aid, closeness with God, in the Orthodox Church, and here I will stay. Praise be to God who is a chastising Father, a loving Father who will not leave a searching and yearning heart abandoned!
"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have the correct calendar."
- John 13:35*
*Not really
🤣
Wow
I’m reminded of an old story: Three Jewish men who converted to Christianity were talking, and the purpose for their conversions came up.
“I converted for financial reasons,” said the first man, “my boss would only promote fellow Christians. And people are now more likely to do business with me since I have a non-Jewish surname.”
“I converted out of love,” said the second man, “not for Christ, but for my now wife. We were so deeply in love, but her father refused to let her marry a non-Christian.”
“I spent many years reading the gospels,” said the third man, “and the writings of the Church Fathers. After so long a time, I came to the conclusion that Jesus Christ was the Son and through him is salvation.”
The two other men laughed heartily at this, proclaiming loudly: “What are we, gentiles?”
Edit: ok, this joke got a lot less hate than I thought.
Lol! From a Jew
Babylonian Backup well yes, it is a Jewish joke. Would you like to hear another?
Where's the joke though?
Tomorrow We Live I would explain, but due to your profile picture I am afraid of your reaction
@@dylanchouinard6141 r/wooosh
Some people become Orthodox for the wrong reasons but with the will of God become true Orthodox.
Most, if not all Orthodox Christians converted or are Orthodox because they found the true path in Christianity.
Some people convert by the wrong reason and become true christians, and some people convert by right reason but become untrue christians
💯, trust in divine fait
Yep! Amen!
I respect your honesty. As a Catholic, I forgot other Churches have problems.
Unless you are like me. The sole bastion of Orthodoxy
But idolatry ain’t one of them #Amazon Synod, become Orthodox 😉
@@gabrielr4329 Why would I do that if I could just go to a Melkite church? The fact is I like Roman Catholicism and it's part of my culture, a Bishop sinning does not invalidate your entire Church.
Atleast we ain't having a schism with Rome.
I mean Moscow is beating the hell out of Constantinople and guess what a new schism in over decades. Unity achieved.
I, too, am Catholic and love these videos. I still think the Catholic Church is the OHCA Church, but I do find the Orthodox position refreshing from time to time. Especially since our Catholic Bishops have scandalized our faith.
What I like the most about this video is that it convinces you to dispense with any sort of idealism or utopianism about the church. We all have our ulterior motives for being a Christian. Being completely honest about it is the first step toward cultivating true humility and thereby true holiness.
@Orthodox Pilgrim True.
I love Orthodoxy and Jesus Christ.
It doesn't convince me anything.
Agreed. Part of me felt offended by the myrrh lover.
I often navigate to male authority figures. Feminine respect/reverence/attachment?
I submit to God. I submit to my husband second. Being a mother and wife in a traditional role brings contentment, grace, humility, and purpose.
To be completely honest, the biggest source of skepticism ive had toward Eastern Orthodoxy as a non-EO Christian is the fact that most sources and people online that I've found have this utopian attitude that "there is absolutely nothing wrong or flawed, we are absolutely perfect and beyond error or criticism."
@Mr. Rich B.O.B 👑 Me either LOL I couldn't think of any reason other than I want to improve in my growth of obedience to God and work towards being as much like Him as I can together with other people who also want this.
I'll be perfectly honest, I got interested in christianity - first Catholicism, then Orthodoxy, as a deus vultist and to a lesser extent a wifehunter (though that was more in the back of my mind). However, at some point, it was like a switch flicked. That bitterness, anger, and fear went away, and my attention snapped to the scriptures. My advice to the Orthodox is not to turn those people away, but to catechize them very well.
ua-cam.com/video/sNYILxq65Xk/v-deo.html
You may think it only Matters were you end and Not why you entered? Wrong! The owner of this channel, who thinks he is God himself, decided and judged that this is wrong.
@@k.l.9334 judging is allowed with a righteous heart.
@@Christ_the_only_way777 Wenn einer mal sicher kein reines Herz hat, dann dieser Heuchler!
@@k.l.9334
It does matter why you come. Because your Priest needs to know where to make the cuts on the flesh so that you are presentable to God.
All these people need Christ.
My friend who I showed this video to: "Do you know any people like this?"
Me: "Well of course... they're me"
I'm glad there's two of us!
@@jairiske i think he answered this in the last q&a
@@jairiske yea I think his answer was pretty much "I don't know, what they believe seems to be the same thing so I don't get it"
I mean as a Catholic, I kind of see it as the same thing with the Filioque, just old language issues which has issues with modern languages.
@@nicodemuseam how i saw it was that it proceeds (procedit) from the Father and Son, how a letter proceeds from sender and mailman, where as the Father is the ultimate source. So its like, both sides are saying the same thing, just differently since i thought the Latin intends that the Father is the only source. Just that its from the Father alone AND can be channeled(proceeding) from the Father through the Son, not necesarily originating . I will check out the lectures though. A Byzantine Catholic and CatholicAnswers site assisted me with this conclusion btw. Id love to learn more though. Oh no... am I a half Catholic?
@@nicodemuseam Some of their saints were condemned by the Church and some of their current leaders deny theosis
If I'm honest, I don't think there are many people who don't fall into at least one of these categories.
Yup. And majority fall in multiple categories (myself included)
C H In any religion.
That's OK because whichever categories you fall into aren't as bad as the other categories that everyone else falls into.
I think that was the point
@@mrsleepsify one really cant escape the Pharisee/tax collector issue anywhere.
This is the best video you have made. I say this for 2 reasons.
1) You demonstrate real threats and problems that are posed to the church through our sinfulness and vanity.
2) You have made me consider my own shortcomings and how I may be part of some of these archetypes.
I’m sure you are aware of these two goals but I just wanted to express my appreciation for the presented opportunity of introspection. Thank you for the effort you put forth in making this video. I’m very grateful for it.
Numbers 6: 24-26
Bojan: *describes a big reason why I became orthodox*
Me: *sweats nervously*
Bojan: Deus Vultists think monarchy is the best system
Me a monarchist: *sweating intensifies*
SuperTunadude yea, I’m definitely a star gazer, deus vultist, and a very little bit of a wife hunter. I was drawn to the Orthodox Church because of its commitment to tradition and cannon so of course I loved it being a very traditional person. And I’m a monarchist aswell. I’m not all for crusades and holy wars tho. I just want a good morale country. A “Byzantium that never was” as Bojan puts it lmao
@@magneticweasel1960 I used to think like that. Then I read history and realized how horrific the past was. I wonder just how many Catholics and Orthodox Christians were flotsam as Bojan put it given what's happened in the west.
SuperTunadude
I’m an IRISH-Style Deus Vultist, that is, I want Orthodox countries to adopt the Old Irish Earl System, although Eastern tradition calls them “Counts”. But these didn’t function like the Feudal lords throughout Europe. Towns were run by a Peasant mayor democratically elected by the peasants. The Earls, while Hereditary Nobles within each county, democratically elected the King from among themselves.
I think all Orthodox should aim for this if the Age of Republics comes to an end.
@@eldermillennial8330 you know that system lead to constant warfare in Ireland right?
I'm at least like five of these archetypes. Real faith feels impossible.
Awww! At the risk of sounding like a Protestant, I say faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Just pray for it if you want more. Remember this guy: "Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief". :)
As he said in the end, the important thing is doing it for Christ. You can see that all of these things are basically people doing stuff for what they think it want, not for Christ or humanity. God bless, Jesus loves you.
I go through this too. Scripture says "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17. The more I read the Word the more my faith grows.
I cannot agree with you more.
I talked about this to Father Paisius of St. Herman of Alaska Monastery. Simply put, he told me to let God grow my faith, that He will strengthen and deepen it in His good time and grace. I'm a catechumen, so maybe that works better for me than for you, but it's still good guidance.
Anyone who live by revelation, and take up his cross is a Christian for the right reason. If we would have been perfect, we wouldn't need a saviour.
zarathustravideo Best statement on here. The narrator is nitpicking at every convert, and depicting himself as perfect.
@@Sully1167 tbf on a comment he says how he falls into several of these categories.
TRUE DAT. 👍
Whelp now it’s time to sit in my room worryingly determining which of these I fall into.
So, Calvin? (Determining) Or Luther? (Obsessing) Sorry -- just a little church-nerd humor.... 🤓🙏
My bf taught about orthodoxy ..soon i will be baptised..
.and i am thankful to him beacuse his time in teaching me the truth.... im not gonna become in orthodox for him but because i have known the light finally. 🙏
Existence of all these groups depicted in this video we simply explain as "richness of Orthodoxy". :o)))
The fact is that aside from other characteristics, Orthodoxy is also true freedom... meaning that one chooses how far one wants to go in one's relationship with the God. The Church will lead you but will not push you.
Such a great comment, Johnny! Keep 'em comin'!
The fact that this also applies to the Catholic Church shows how we also share one Lord, yet also one enemy.
Me; A monarchist: sweating intensifies.
LOL!!!
@@BibleIllustrated Good question for Christian monarchists: Do you support the King because you love God, or do you love God because you support the King?
@@peopleskingdomofwolcottia My love of God is seperate from my support for the King. The King is just less snake-y and dishonest than the elected official.
**Super Smash Melee announcer echos in the distance...**
"CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER!!!"
Thank you for this channel and videos. I am a protestant (fundamental baptist) considering orthodoxy. I have been diligently studying the scriptures and the church fathers, along with Orthodox Theology. I am both actively studying and also prayerfully using restraint. I firmly believe that if I were to truly make the leap to orthodoxy, I should be fully convinced of its truths, otherwise, as St. Paul wrote of those who feared eating meat sacrificed to idols (despite idols having no power over God), I would sin against my own conscience.
I will say this: Orthodoxy, upon deeper study, very much seems to be in accordance with the early Fathers, and it rejects the more radical dogmas that caused the Reformation rebellions (Immaculate Conception, Mary as Co-Redemptrix, the several "devotions" to the Sacred heart of Mary and Jesus, indulgences, and so forth). It is quite refreshing.
My father is a baptist pastor, i can only consider him a man of God in the way he has raised me and my family. He loves the Lord and dutifully studies the scriptures, but I am not sure how he would react to my inquiring. (He has only know Catholicism in the past, and one of its most Marian branches, the Spanish Catholic Church), so he might not be too inclined to Orthodoxy at first glance. That being said, I have been teaching him a bit about Orthodoxy and he likes to learn about it.
I think i have written too much, just wanted to give thanks, many blessings to you from God, keep it up!
Thank you for calling us out on the superficial reasons we may go to church.
From my experience Orthodoxy has been a refuge from the chaos of our society...it's beautiful to worship our Creator within the sacredness of His Church and at the same time obtain healing for our spiritual ailments through fasting, prayer and the Holy Mysteries.
Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to find an authentic Orthodox Church with a humble and loving spiritual father to guide the flock.
Seek and ye shall find 🙏
bojan really just came for all of us
op just obliterated 99% of orthodox members
i think its great, because only the true saints dont have one or more of these traits in themselves, and its good to be honest with yourself and take a long hard look in the mirror.
All I can really say is *oof*! I've been trying to be honest with myself about why I want to convert (still an "inquirer" at this point, though it's been a few years) and this video has given me a lot of pause.
The real miracle, though, is that I went through the comments expecting a real dumpster fire and found [mostly] humble responses.🤯🤯🤯
One of the nicer -- and more surprising -- things about the Orthodox community as a whole.
The maker of this Video is such a Low life and basically incarnates the pattern of the anti Christ.
I have been wanting to get this off my chest for such a long time. I'm glad you said it.
The "I converted to Orthodoxy because the Anglican church was becoming liberal," is what I can't stand, or "we need to protect our European civilisation and
Orthodoxy will help us achieve this." You don't hear "I became Orthodox Christian because I love Jesus and want to be in his Church."
Good video brother God bless you.
I think different forms of prayer and semi-regular liturgy would edify my faith. Probably be more honest and accurate reaponse from me.
What's wrong with leaving the Anglican church for becoming liberal? Surely, if the Anglican church was becoming liberal, that's a good sign that it's not holy and you should select something else?
Shamir Kamchi You know, you’re right about that. No one else never says they convert for the right reasons but because this church is bad or this church is bad. Like me. I want to be Orthodox because I do not like how the Catholic Church is going instead of saying “I love God and want to be in his church” but in truth the reason I want to Be Orthodox because I believe the Orthodox Church worships God allot better or something down that line, in a way I think it’s not fair for me to say that because everyone has their own way of worshiping God. Grud I feel guilty now.
@@JaythePandaren Not really. Diversity protects us and you found a form of spirituality that resonates most for you. Just be careful about overly dogmatically introducing ideas. Kinda can contribute to alot of loss of context or not listening to others different from you.
@@JaythePandaren Be in the denomination and structure that brings you closest to God. There really is no "right and perfect way". All denominations proclaim false humility in proclaiming themselves but mere sinners, while simultaneously claiming they are the only real way to Christ. What do I know though? I'm a wandering spirit, lol.
The only reason I became orthodox was because I wondered in for food, but was trapped by grandmothers asking me when I was getting married, my career and if I was interesting in their grandson, Dimitris and wouldn't let me leave the church, ever (cue boss battle music). I joke, I joke. 99% of Orthodox Christians have been like this at some point. As matter of fact I call the over the top, zealousness of new converts hyperdox. We are always righteous in our own eyes a reality check is good for us.
Well don't leave us hanging, how's your husband Dimitris?
@@isaiahpoe Wonderful, wonderful. His father gave my father 10 goats for my hand in marriage and now I take care of our 2.5 children.
Emily LLoyd this is Post of why it still haven’t had the courage to visit an orthodox service. I’m not in the „Dimitris-category“ any more, but I’m afraid of people offering me coffee and cookies and I don’t know how to say „I’m celiac“ in Russian or Greek. 😅
That's sad that you judge new converts as hyperdox. I was a new convert at one time. I don't think one would have ever judged me as hyperdox? Maybe. But I don't know about that. I do know after 20+ years of being a Protestant that I was starved for God in a way that only the Orthodox Church fulfills. This guy's video nails it on the cultural aspect of church though. The Greek Fest. The "club" atmosphere. The love of hanging out, more than love of God. This drives me nuts.
Hyperdox. Nice. I'm gonna borrow that -- I'll give ya credit, Emily Lloyd. 😂😂😂
I have had to sidestep hyperdoxy because of health issues, as well (re: celiac). Incense = debilitating migraine. God has seen fit to locate me within an hour of only one Orthodox parish -- served by a priest whose own health issues limit his use of incense -- "mysterious ways", indeed....After 5.5 years of inquiry, including 1.5 of formal catechesis, I will be received (God willing) at Pascha. Can't imagine the digestive gauntlet for you at coffee hour -- especially with the aforementioned baklava at a Greek church! 😉 Maybe check out an Antiochian/heavy Arabic or Middle Eastern parish - ? Tahini? Falafel?
I am actually (as I type this) taking a break from the final chapter of a little manuscript -- "Adaptive Orthodoxy". How do we maintain the faith unchanged (avoid doctrinal innovation) while meaningfully encountering the postmodern west in inviting ways (translation, adaptation)? Not sure what path that will take, but keep an eye out, if you're interested...?
My parents raised me and my siblings as, Roman Catholic. Recently over the past three, four years my parents converted to Byzantine Orthodox. Honestly, I haven’t been part of the church for years. But I see how happy and accepted my parents are with the church. I’ve gone to service with them twice and I was impressed. The church people are incredibly kind. When the priest does service he preaches “by the grace of god”. No politics, calling people out, or shoving their beliefs down anyone’s throat. All are welcome and accepted....I’m happy there are peaceful churches like this, it’s truly a beautiful experience!
Glad you like it, Elizabeth! :-)
I am just coming into Orthodoxy after several years of inquiry and catechesis. I travel pretty widely and speak with many converts, and experiences like yours seem pretty common, especially among former Roman Catholics, but among some mainline Protestant refugees, too whose communities have become highly politicized, especially in recent decades....So glad you felt welcome. 😌🙏
oof i'm at least 8 of these does anyone have an ibuprofin
Lol.
Bojan, this could be considered a kind of Pilgrim's Progress for Eastern Orthodoxy. Nicely done.
Nathaniel P. Adams Exactly what I thought except Boyan's Pilgrims Progress has far more humour.😀
@@Clodaghbob The clairvoyant monk at 3:11 was especially funny.
Nathaniel P. Adams Indeed. And you can read all about his life in the epic poem "The Hungry Trees" which Bojan will post just as soon as he gets around to writing it. A tale of calm green fields and shocking veggicides. Gripping stuff!
Thunder Boys When you're having a bad day and feeling all irritable and agitated, there's nothing quite like a nice walk in the fresh air followed by a nice cup of tea.
Greetings from Russia, Serbian brother! I can say that this video surprised me because I can be called Deusvultist to some extent. It has been almost 1.5 years since I returned to the Church. I was inspired by guys like the Templars, Teutonic Knights, Hospitallers and Lazarits. I wanted to be as pious and strong as they and their images helped me very much the first time. Now I have right or traditional views on life, but I study in one of the most liberal university in Russia and have good relationships with other students, Even I have fundamental or radical views, Im not toxic). But now I consider that our orthodox faith is the most important thing which we have. Of course despite our race or other things that not dependent
from us we all brothers and sisters, ideologies are the filthy man's thing. And the last word. You are good at preaching and draw very well. God bless you!
Hello Nikita, thank you for your kind words! What makes deusvultist a deusvultist is precisely their toxicity; I share a lot of deusvultist's countercultural ideas, but I'm not toxic (hopefully!)
@@BibleIllustrated i think you should have made it a bit more clear that the toxicity and smug sense of superiority were the main problems and not holding traditional views. In the video it sounded like you were just saying that not being a liberal humanist is bad
@@jackwalters5506 I think it is pretty apparent. There's also a liberal humanist type among the cast.
There are 24 Eastern and Oriental Rites in the Catholic Church. The Melkite Church is Greek and Syrian. They don't hate Serbs and Russians
@@Melons-vg8dq
The Martyrs of Jasenovac and the Victims of Joseph Knutsevich would like a word.
Wow brutally honest . You called me out on several of these .
I called out myself on several of those :D
I think good additions to this list would be Nationalist Orthodox (orthodox because it's a symbol of cultural/national and sometimes xenophobic pride) and Political Orthodox (orthodox because they are anti-communist or anti-globalist and as a statement against former Soviet repression)
This wasn’t one of my reasons, but in a way caused me to find the Orthodox Church. I listen to a lot of political podcasts and am an American nationalist myself, and I noticed that a lot of the guys I agreed with politically were “orthodox.” I had never even heard of the church and this caused me to look into it.
@@coltonthedrummer same here, heard of the church for the first time through Jonathen Paguea's 'Pepe the Frog' Symbolism video.
Logan I learned through Jay Dyer when he was on Warski Live.
Meanwhile there were Catholic and even Protestant countries oppressed by communism.
Well pray for me as I feel like I'm a logician but I'm trying to get closer to God and have a relationship with jesus, I have been a Catholic but I want to be fully with God, Amen brothers and sisters
I really like the last message of the video, we all have to start somewhere. I have many dumb reasons for not becoming Orthodox in the first place and taking a big detour, just to get back to considering Orthodoxy again! Just started going to a Serbian Orthodox Church in the UK.
I highly recommend you to stay for a few days in the monastery of St. John the Baptist in Tolleshunt Knights - the most respected orthodox monastery in the West. If it's not to far from your place...
I'm not a deus vultist but, I feel like people who dismiss them don't hail from a culture that has a disappearing fatherhood, and targets masculinity as something needing to be exterminated. I'm sure lots of deus vultists are around college age which would explain why after being having white privilege beaten into their heads for 4 years, same with being told that anything other than deviant sexual practices are undesirable that they might be racist or 'homophobic'.
Hey, if it came down to brass tacks I wouldn't want to be on the side of the university that's for sure.
100%.
@hieronymus b bless your reply fren, this helped me :)
Yeah but people have to understand that the reaction to extreme in one direction can also be too extreme in the opposite direction. I think this is why mainstream family sitcoms in the 80s were actually a really good thing that should be brought back. They taught us what normal behavior was.
Best part is that most of us are like them and that doesn't exclude us from heaven. Just like St. Moses the black, God likes a challenge
Exactly
Wait, am I a star gazer is I listen to Byzantine chant because it calms me and focuses me before and during tasks?
You would be a stargazer if Byzantine music would be the foundation of your faith. So don't worry about it. I like it too, for the same reasons. But our faith is so much more. God bless you, brother!
Kalias Alright awesome, I was pretty sure I wasn’t, but I was I would look at what I was doing and change it to become more of an orthodox life
@@WilliamBlathras It calms me as well. As long as you reminds you of Christ, that's what matters!
@@WilliamBlathras No, doubtful you're a stargazer. Here's a recent observation I made about Gregorian chants, which apparently are Orthodox. I was watching various clips of, The Deer Hunter and during the short clip of the iconic (but very fake) hunting scene in the movie, there is Orthodox chanting music as the sound track. While looking in the comments, most of the comments were loving the soundtrack and wanted to know where to find it. Many were absolutely emphatic about it. So there is some very visceral reaction to this type of ancient chanting, that even non-Christians, non seekers, likely even atheists are very partial to.
This video is partly satire, so take it all w/ a grain of salt. It's sort of humourous, but really Really cynical as well. As for this Christian (apparently a wandering spirit), I've always found that chanting to be kind of depressing. Guess I'm a minority there.
I am a Wandering Spirit, I will listen to a Byzantine Chant one minute and an Hindu one the next.
I was born and raised Mormon, and after opening my eyes to the truth I went to two pentecostal churches with my wife. They helped, but I felt something was missing.
I had to move to find work, and now I'm trying to find my way to the closest Orthodox church to me. Orthodoxy rings truer to me than anything else I've explored, and I've explored just about everything
This was great, I love your sense of humor. Please keep making your videos, I for one appreciate your work. As someone coming into Orthodoxy now in my 40's, stuff like this is actually quite helpful.
Nice, I'm only like 25% of these things!
I Joined because I proved to myself that my old faith (Jehovah's Wittnesses) is false... I started studying all religions, including non-christian and ended up in Orthodoxy... You could say I am a logician that was never an atheist, but after reading the canons, creeds I realized that I always wanted to be a worshipper of God. That didn't ever change. The thing that changed is that now I know what that means.
You are the 777 comment
@@peri2338 good!
Thank you for calling out my mistakes.
Mine too ;-)
If I take steps into Orthodoxy, then I would need the Holy Spirit to create a new heart for me. My ego saw this video as a fun house mirror in which my faults were highlighted.
I have an ulterior motive; I see nothing in my heart but sin and am seeking spiritual discipline in order to overcome my part in polluting the world. I seek the Lord in order to overcome my ego and sin.
"That all crazy people in monasteries are not clairvoyant" lol oh boy
Yeah -- like explaining after "A Beautiful Mind" that not every delusional mental patient is a Nobel prizewinner-in-waiting.... 😬😉
I am a "logician" and I do not like it. I have accepted in my mind that there has to be a God and that christianity is the true faith but I do not believe at all with my heart. Pray for me to accept God with my heart.
I'll pray for you
@@walterusalbus thank you so much. That means a lot. Ive been struggling lately.
This was a nice, humbling video that'll get people to look at what exactly they want to get out of the church. Saw quite a few bits of myself that need work here, but it's all a part of the journey, and the last thing our lord and saviour would want is for me to get anxious about this. god bless you for posting this.
I've met halforthodox Catholics. I guess our Churches do have many things in common.
As well as some who converted because of the recent schisms Russia has made with the entire world of Orthodoxy.
My Syrian godmother is authentically Orthodox, but since her parents were one each (Orthodox and Catholic), I appreciate her humility and openness about Catholic faithful.
@@HelloHello8D correction, with Ecumenticl partiarchate. The remaining patriarchates are still in communion with Russian orthodox church and are disagreeing with pat. Bartholomeu's activity in Ukraine, which is what had sparked the dispute.
This is my new favorite channel. I just found it and subscribed. I am in the process of converting to Orthodox Christianity and this video has helped tremendously.
Ditto to this entire comment! God bless you, sister! 🙏😌
I can confidently say I was a star gazer before my conversion, but I am very thankful to God that I have matured, and am pursuing Christ for Christ's sake in His Holy Orthodox church.
I just want to say that your accent is just fine and nothing to apologize about! Thank you for sharing your faith with us! 😊
I can definitely see our own equivalents to this in the Catholic Church to be honest as a Catholic myself.
This video made me really look inward at myself. I converted to Orthodoxy because I felt lost with my current church and felt like the non-denominational church made me become fairly delusional with it. Once I did become Orthodox, I wanted to plant myself and make sure I wasn't a poster. I refused to take communion that isn't Orthodox and I don't really pray with heterodox Christians. But I definitely needed a video like this as a check up to make sure if I had a loosened root. Thanks.
Thank you so much. This is precisely why the video was made :-)
@@BibleIllustrated you're very welcome. I love your videos, they help me expand my faith. God bless you. :)
I wanted to thank you for making this video. With having moderate-severe Autism, there has been a priest (Roman Catholic) that has been mistreating me (not physically) for years because of it. He does this thing acting all accepting in the open, and then makes comments about my condition behind 'closed doors' such as "you do not have to be so technical," and not being allowed to participate in things like music (I have a music degree). He does gas-lighting of pretending to be good trying to mislead people into that before declaring true intention. I am considering leaving the church because of this stuff, clerics and congregation not welcoming people with disabilities despite 'preaching' about sacredness of all life from "womb to tomb." Again, thank you so much, you clarified the situation. I will always be grateful with you helping me finally put a finger on this toxic situation.
blueroses226 Church has many bad people inside even clergy without purity of heart. but this cannot be a reason for you leaving church if you have genuine faith. it would be better to assert your self or change enviroment. leaving religion should be a conscious choice and not a reaction because as a reaction you lose the benefits of attending a faith community as well
Wish the best on your journey according to your circumstances
@@ariskrataios1783 Thank you. I called the diocese (without broaching yet much of what has bee going on), asking if there is a way to make a proposal for better resources.
blueroses226 well done!
I am very concerned about accommodating and inviting people with a wide range of disabilities to participate in the life of the Church. Neurological disability, especially, is common, and in a sensory-heavy environment like Orthodox worship, can be difficult. At the same time, while we need to adapt and translate the faith, we must protect it from harmful innovation that can invite heresy. I have been struggling with this for several years -- writing small manuscript on "Adaptive Orthodoxy". Interested in the thoughts of others with personal experience of this...?
Wow! You just managed to peel back so many layers in one short video. These videos package meaty things in a light digestible package. It left me looking at myself under a microscope. Truly we need the Lord’s mercy! Every one of us.
Interestingly, in the US the "Mafioso" is actually way more common with Catholics than Orthodox. I imagine in Eastern Europe though you might have a few Russian/Serbian Mafia people and prob a few Russian Ransomware hackers lmao
@5:45 saint Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov) has said in his letter for 19th week after Pentecost: "Гнушайтесь убо врагами Божиими, поражайте врагов отечества, любите враги ваша. Аминь." It has been very poorly translated and it is used by deusvultists, but properly translated should be like this: "Shun enemies of God, defeat enemies of fatherland, love your enemies."
Yup, here it is translated as 'smite'.
May God bless your efforts! Nicely done!
Yikes.... the old calendar definitely remains true in the fact that it has several Church holidays at the new calendar just simply deletes
I am Catholic. And perhaps for that reason I related to this video which could easily substitute "Catholic " for "Orthodox ". But the reason in any case is to live for and with Christ. Thank you for your insightful video.
Thank you! And yeah, I would assume that majority of these are universal to different religions :-)
I like it that there are so many Catholics here. If we ever want to get back together as one whole Church, it's important that we talk with one another.
@@diedertspijkerboer most Catholics have a great esteem for Orthodox.
While I may disagree about the theology and ecclesiology, I do understand some of the points raised by them and I would be an absolute fool if I denied the ancestral beauty of your liturgy and monasticism.
I really do love the EO, because after all they are our Sister Church, albeit estranged.
Whoa, this was amazing! I have definitely both experienced from others and struggled myself with some of these things, and it is so helpful to see it spelled out like this to remind us of all the ways that our illness of sin manifests, so that we can recognize the signs and apply the appropriate medicine within the church. Thank you so much for making this and posting!
I'm beginning my inquiry into Orthodoxy! Maybe not the best time due to coronavirus, but better late than never. Pray for me friends!
Will do! :-)
🙏 for you -- a difficult time, in that it's hard not to be able to go to Church in person in many cases. But, God provides -- and online Church is an "embarrassment of riches" in the Orthodox world these days. Enjoy observation the range of beauty in Christ's ancient worldwide Body! May God guide your journey.... 😌🕯☦😷
Was the same. How's it going 8 months on?
@@RandomUserName92840 So well! Although there's been some kinks with my catechetical process, I'm still set to be chrismated next Pascha as far as I'm aware.
"Christ is the only reason" may be true, but it's not that simple. The church has divided twice over certain doctrines where educated theologians have ultimately disagreed. How would I know whether I should remain Oriental Orthodox or become a Chalcedonian? (it's a rhetorical question, I don't want a discussion by those who respond to this comment).
You have excluded so many, including the clergy that seem pious, but who then can be saved? Most laymen are loyal to their church because they were born into it and taught its doctrine, you cannot expect all laymen to make an informed decision on the nature of Christ when it takes reading everything from St Cyril to the tome of Leo to St Severus to St John of Damascus to be able to even understand half of why we have ended up here.
I agree with what you have said in the video, but I barely see any Christians left after this filtration, and some of us are just confused and uneducated.
And that is why I said that all these reasons, while wrong on surface, can be a good prompt to actually start living in Christ :-)
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hear My word and believes Him who send Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." John 5:24. I encourage you to start by reading the New Testament.
Honestly I don't know and nor does my priest or the elders at church know what Bojan is talking about when it comes to the theological reasons for the Orthodox and Catholic divide. Bring up power and who has and who doesn't and that makes sense.
@ianlilley2577 pretty sure papacy and the filioque are the main reasons
I personally came back to the Orthodox Church for a number of reasons. I never left like making the decision myself to not be at church but it was a decision because of family issues actually within our parish so as a kid I didn’t really go and was raised without much influence of religion at all. However my interest started to grow in highschool but I was still interested in other religions too. And finally at the age of 23 within the past month and a half or so I was drawn into the church of Christ in fullness. I had been to church a few times before that but the biggest reasons for me to come back was truly everything about the church. The traditionalism, the beauty, the hymns, the sermons, but truly the love of God. And the truth and learning to humble oneself. Do I hope to find a wife within the church? Absolutely. Or find someone willing to come into the church because I know this is the faith. There’s something humbling, and powerful with the Orthodox Church that just to me isn’t found in western Christianity. And like I said it’s just within everything. I’m still learning a lot and still confused at times but I truly see the light of God having opened my heart to him through orthodoxy. Most challenging being thinking of him because he’s not physical. It contradicts what I had truly known up until now but want to continue to learn and to open my heart and really focus on my faith and make it the center of my life. Not just a part of my life
As a Roman Catholic: most of these are truth for the Caholic Church aswell. I myself fit ( or at least did fit at some point ) in some of these, but applied to Roman Catholicism instead of Orthodoxty.
Outstanding, truthfull video! God bless!
yeah I definitely have to agree here, I heard of one incident where a man converted to Catholicism just because he liked the Cathedrals.
I saw myself in at least 3 of these and I have met all of these archetypes. As a convert we bring a certain amount of baggage with us. Personally, I have observed that not a lot of clergy and laity of who are mature in their faith to ask converts to check that baggage. Someone asked me to check mine and it worked.
I started my life as a Protestant (mostly Methodism, but have experienced much Lutheranism due to my step father), and have been so for many years. I've been moving my way towards Orthodoxy as the Logician described in the video. That's how I've maintained my belief during times of doubt, which sadly I find come far too often. I once had the fire of the Holy Spirit within me, or at least I think I did. How do I rekindle it? How do I feel His warmth once more?
Hi Derek, I just read your post. Have you found some answers yet?
The funny thing is, I think that too much reason and logic has been keeping me from faith.
You should have thrown in a “FedEx” reference in with the Castaway archetype. 1/3 of that movie was one big FedEx commercial.
Wow, I've met a lot of Deusvultists in my time, and it really made me uncomfortable about being Orthodox. It's refreshing to have someone else acknowledge that they're not the end-all-be-all of Orthodoxy. And all of these examples are useful no matter who you are -- we all have periods of each in our lives, I believe.
Interesting. That was the only category that I found entirely foreign. Curious, since I live in an area with many folks who seem to share nearly all the deusvultists' traits except Orthodoxy! Beware of local outreach? Ha.
You just gotta ignore them or maybe call them out on this. They just wanna feel special and badass.
I am a deusvultist for sure. The culmination of meaninglessness in my life spurred by the approach of my 20th birthday, and all this mass migration making life worse in every way compared to when my country was more homogenous has given me good reason to be one, too.
Although, I don't really care about the crusades or monarchism. I've recently come back from a visit to the home of my father's family where it is nearly 100% white while my neighborhood is 80% non white, and it was just... So. Much. Better... In every way.
People actually talk to you in stead of exclusively ascociating with their respective "minority" group, people drive better, people are much quieter for fucks sake, the housing price is much lower due to no supply/demand imbalance, you don't have businesses run by ethnocentric foreigners where everybody employed there is conspicuously Indian for example; where they preferably or exclusively shop at their own businesses, trade with their own businesses, hire their own group, all of course at the expense of my currently very non-ethnocentric group...
Two birds with one stone; the two biggest sources of bad things in my life.
@@jasonsmith1415
I feel you.
It is easy for European based Orthodox Christians to perhaps dismiss the “Deus Vultists” who live in countries quickly being overrun by non-Christians and 3rd worlders. In my parent’s lifetime my country (USA) went from 85+% white Christian to current demographics. And people wonder why some long for “the Byzantium that never was” …..
@@jasonsmith1415 if you prefer self segregation, go ahead lol
These drawings are getting better and better! Great video.
They are great, right? I find myself pausing the video so that I don't miss details in the funny drawings....
I have some questions about the Virgin Mary regarding some topics that have troubled me as a Catholic:
- Do Orthodox view Mary as mediatrix and co-redemptrix?
- Why do Orthodox deny the concept of the Immaculate Conception? Do Orthodox believe Mary lived a sinless life yet was still born with original sin?
- Do Orthodox consider Mary to be "Queen of Heaven and Earth?"
And, finally, an non-Mary related question: Why is there not a variety of religious/monastic orders in Orthodoxy as there are in Catholicism?
These are fantastic questions. May I recommend the book "The Orthodox Veneration of the Mother of God", by St John Maximovich. It will address a lot of the deeper questions you're asking.
@@calebshoemaker Thank you for the recommendation. I'll see if I can find that book.
You are hilarious AND very gifted in how you present things. By the way, not sure if you realize this but, the examples you show of people 'types' could be applied to almost any aspect of life...well done! I had to watch 3 times because I kept laughing and then, I subscribed. 👍
Please pray for me, I am an ex Roman Catholic, ex gang member, ex Protestant, ex nondenominationalist, ex reformed, ex Orthodox Catachumen who still loves his sins and is kind of but not really trying to repent of them yet is flirting with Orthodoxy because God is calling me to repentance and I believe it is the correct faith to worship God in and serve Him in as it has been since it’s beginning when Jesus Christ started it.
I have said I love God and my neighbor but, it is merely words without actions (demonic faith) and I realize when compared to the Saints of the church in reality I am not a Christian but instead a hypocrite. Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on us all! 🙏
Will pray for you bro! :-) Just keep at it! I am certain that people who've been through a lot are especially near to the Lord!
@@BibleIllustrated thank you brother! May God Grant you many years! May He continue to help you in your service to Him and your neighbor. Thank you for your work, it is truly a blessing for us. 🙏
I will often watch this video when I feel I’m doing good. A daily reminder of how screwed I am without God is a healthy wake up.
This is so true! I’m a Catholic, but I recognise some of these VERY well… God bless you for this nice video❤
And there is me a nondenominational and a Deist that comes here well knowing of being here simply out of mere curiosity and to study different way of thinking and living
Welcome to the channel! :-)
I started attending Orthodox church for the vibes, and then found I was unable to leave because any protestant service now seems deeply disturbing to me.
The therapies of the church have become part of my life and I don't see a world where I live without them.
Things I struggled with before, I'm still struggling with, but I've actually made progress.
There are no inconvenient verses in the Bible anymore since a legion of ancient saints have already explained every passage. It's a relief not having to interpret every verse from scratch anymore and just allowing myself to walk the path that was already blazed by holy ones who came before.
I have been an inquirer for 8 years, a catachumen for 1 year, and will be received into the church on this coming Pascha.
Glory be to God and welcome home!
Thumbs up, from Greece. Amazing analysis of an Orthodox Parish.
I find your honesty here very, very refreshing. This type of thing is only really said in hush tones, in smaller circles, or even just the kind of thing that everyone knows about but doesn't want to talk about. See? Now I find your religion even more exotic, thanks alot
so wifehunting/ matchmaking older ladies in church isn't just a southern US thing. good to know.
I like the part about "the living dead." I had to deal with the stubborn ethnic element for years.
Happy Birthday, my sibling in Christ! 🎁😇🥰🎂🍰🧁🙏🏻☦️
Perhaps another name for your channel could be: “Hairy Serbian Hands”?
Lol Definitely could be! :D
Bible Illustrated: Your voice reminds me of my dear Friend Fr George who is Polish.
And please now a more detailed video what good Reasons to Convert and Stay Orthodox are....
When I was living in New Zealand, in the 70s, a lot of people, if not most converts, were joining the EOC because the Anglican Church was ordaining women or because they were "disgruntled" about something else about the Anglican (or maybe RC) Church. More recently, in the US, because ECUSA was ordaining gays and lesbians. I would have added those to the list of bad reasons for joining.
Stargazing False Saint here. Please forgive me Siblings in Christ, I will do better. Very humbling video Bojan!
I think literally all of us are Stargazers and False Saints to a degree ;-)
I realise that I fall into many of these categories... Thank you for the video!
Loved the ending "note". 👍 & ❤ from a former "Wandering Spirit". May Yeshua guide us all, my his light shine through us.
I remember when my catholic friend started to argue with me about my protestantism because I "left" the "true" church and "removed" books and other things. Thank God I understood church history (my family was Greek Orthodox) and countered with the fact that, if they want to look at it in that perspective... then THEY originally split from orthodoxy and recognize even fewer books than Orthodoxy and removed things they disagreed with too. It's so similar. It's easy for a catholic to point the finger to a protestant when (with that perspective) they did literally the same thing to Orthodox-- lol-- I think Orthodoxy is beautiful and it has helped me in so many ways. Videos like your are such blessings. Thanks for what you do.
As always you are thought provoking.
I much prefer your narration.
I pray, I do not fit into any of these categories nor may I even assume another Orthodox is as any of those listed.
May we always allow the Lord Jesus Christ be the Head of His Holy Orthodox Church.
You've made some very good videos and, as always, this was very sincere and honest. Your devotion is obviously not something that allows you to ignore reality. Thank you for that, even though I may at least partially be guilty of being a few of the personalities you described.
Who else wishes bojan did a fan meet up in America
I tried converting several times, it’s a habit in my family. To different religions and denominations. I can’t recommend it.
A college friend once told a group of younger guys inquiring about his upcoming wedding that "you get married because you're already married in your heart." I suspect that if "converting" isn't like that, it probably wouldn't "take" any more than marriage would! 😉
Wow... I knew a priest who was the leeches type. Lord have mercy.
They are much more numerous in predominantly Orthodox countries. :-)
They are especially abundant on television
It's not really fair to blame a castaway from Catholicism. Most of us just realize that the Pope is a Patriarch gone rogue. Much of the scandals and embarrassments of the papacy could have been avoided if the Pope were beholden to the Church and her other Patriarchs instead of the whole world and all it's sinfulness.
Textbook ecumenist - that’s me. Or at least it would be if I were Orthodox in any sense that you or I would consider truly Orthodox. But I’m just a longtime outside observer.
It does seem to my outsider eyes, though, that the flotsam category covers about 80% of all religions.
Is it weird that this is making me relieved that I'm Oriental Orthodox, not Eastern Orthodox, because we don't get nearly as many converts as you guys do? Not that this all still doesn't apply (some of it even more so), but I mean...I've only ever actually met one other convert, and I've found that it is not unusual for non-converts to ask which one of my parents is from the 'Orthodox ethnicity' (neither) or which one of the ladies in the congregation is my wife (none of them), because it is apparently assumed that these are the only ways that people convert. And then when they find out I didn't convert for any ethnic or romantic reasons, they tell other people in the congregation that I'm extra-smart because I found the faith "on my own", which makes me very uncomfortable. I know English is at least their second language (maybe third or fourth), but I don't think that's a good way to put that, as though the Holy Spirit was not involved but instead I did it myself with my fancy intellect! Truthfully I am probably a worse Christian now (when I was RC it wouldn't have seemed strange to not pray the hours or to not fast...), but I would rather struggle here than be more comfortable in a place where I was spiritually starving. And it has been 8 years now, so God-willing I will know whether or not I have avoided the dreaded 'convertitis' by the decade mark (maybe). May God bring me to it. Peace, friends.
Wow! …… Bojan, that was brutal!
But dead-on correct!