www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization "Convert Mentality"

Tammy, I'm curious -- are you aware that you can have all those things - Eastern theologians, icons, liturgies and other things - while still remaining in communion with the Pope? If those are your main concerns, you don't really need to "leave Catholicism" -- just switch rites.

While there certainly are too many people claiming to be Catholics and doing those things, they're not doing it with the blessing of the Church. The Pope is definitely not "pro abortion" or any of those other things!

Granted all the caveats posted on "convert mentality"...

Is there also "cradle Byzantine mentality?" (whether the "Byzantine" be Catholic or Orthodox or Orthodox-in-Communion-with-Rome [if you will])

Herb

Herb, there sure is.

It goes like this.

"We only have TWO tones. I grew up in the church and that's all there is and anyone who says differently is a liar."

"We've always had kneelers. I grew up in the church and there are kneelers. Anyone who says we shouldn't have kneelers is an idiot and they don't know what they're talking about."

"We've always said the filioque. I grew up in the church saying the filioque. Anyone who says we shouldn't say it is a heretic."

"Who says we're not supposed to eat meat during Lent? I grew up in the church and my parents were more devout than ANYONE and they made sure they had fish on Friday, but they always ate meat otherwise. Anyone who says differently is a fanatic."

"I've never heard of this Jesus Prayer. I grew up with the Rosary. Anyone who says to pray this Jesus Prayer is a crazy New-Ager."

Yes, I've heard every one of these things said, including the ad hominems.

Hi Cizinec!

Actually, your posting sounded funny to me and I started to laugh. It would be funny too, if it weren't so true!

Michael

Dear Cizinec,

I'll go one better here . . .

We had a sermon preached at us once (sorry, "to us" ) where the priest outlined a number of attitudes that he said were latent "anti-Catholic" attitudes in our Church.

These included the desire of some to stand throughout the Sunday Liturgy and never kneel . . .

The list went worse from there.

And that parish's new pastor said he would never allow the foot-washing ceremony on Holy Thursday because . . . he never saw it done in Galicia when he was growing up . . .

It is better to have the Latinized parishes run by the Basilians and the Redemptorists.

At least, then, when you go into one of these you know what to expect.

Alex

I think there are two kinds of convert mentalities. The first, mentioned in this thread, is the one which has a certain self-righteousness to it. These are the people who are determined to be "more Orthodox than the Orthodox" (or more Catholic than the Pope if you are a Westerner).

They are a pain in the tush!!

Then there are people like me. I was a pain in the tush also. But not so much from criticizing the practices of others. For me, and many others, well.....we are just SO HAPPY to have finally found the REAL DEAL that we just cannot get enough. It's like having been fed cheese and crackers all your life and then being introduced to filet mignon.

We volunteer for everything, and more often than not, like a friendly and well meaning puppy, we make more mistakes than we do things correctly. Singing too loudly, saying the wrong things at the wrong time, goofing up the Liturgy, messing up the choir....oh my....the list goes on and on.

God love those people who patiently put up with us until we finally calm down and settle into the areas the Lord wants us in.

Brother Ed -- still embarrassed as I remember some of my more outstanding gaffs

Eeeeeek

This could well develop into a thread on our most embarrassing mistakes - like me forgetting to arrange Readers for Midnight Mass - oh I organised readers for the Carol Service - but suddenly realised when sitting in the Choir Loft as the 2 Mass Readers did not go up to the Altar the I had made the mother and father of all gaffes -- never repeated that one again :p

Anhelyna - still blushing at that one.

Dear Brother Ed,

An excellent point!

A friend of mine who is now an OCA priest and a convert from Anglicanism first became Orthodox in another jurisdiction that simply didn't appreciate his zeal . . .

He was "pious to a fault" certainly . . .

But he was very eager to organize a Sunday school, bring in more converts and the like.

His priest in confession warned him about not upsetting people in the parish (or the bishop).

The priest actually excommunicated Geoff THREE times in his first two years as an Orthodox Christian (ie. forbidding him to approach Communion for a specified period of time, much like what the Administrator does when he imposes a penalty of non-participation in the forum for a time. . . ).

He finally wound up leaving that jurisdiction for the OCA.

Alex