Why Eastern Orthodox Christianity? - Series Conclusion

[@tommasocianti9308]

i am an Italian Orthodox, baptized in this year's Christmas Eve. Your Channel had teached me a lot and helped me a lot. God bless you.

[@quakeroats5686]

What's it like now

[@AnHebrewChild]

Italian orthodox? I’d never heard of this one. How and when did the Italian Orthodox church develop concurrently when Rome and its Bishop was right up the street?

[@tommasocianti9308]

@@AnHebrewChild I am under Moscow. But I am Italian. We have not an autocephalous Canonical Church at the moment.

[@huascar66]

Slowly, slowly, I am orienting my thirsty soul to the Orthodox Church. I watch these videos and they give me comfort and hope.

[@leo11190]

Me too😌

[@MyNameisDianaa]

please don't stop making videos.

[@Theoria]

Diana - perhaps there was a misunderstanding. I apologize! This is only the last video in this series "Welcome to the Orthodox Church." God willing we plan to make more :) with more people and other topics. If you have suggestions, let us know!

[@MyNameisDianaa]

Theoria Thank God! I'm really happy to hear that. I'm a 20year old Orthodox Christian from Romania and your videos have been helping me a lot. God bless you! :)

[@Theoria]

Glory to God! Through your prayers, this video venture will continue.

[@zanlam2476]

Unfortunately they *did* stop making videos :/ I'm trying to read into the orthodoxy but it's hard to find good sources, I don't really know where to start.

[@zanlam2476]

@@teodordeaconu3221 Thanks

[@jeremytan5297]

Glory to God! Thanks to this channel that started me of in the journey towards Orthodoxy, tomorrow, which is the day before Pentecost, I will be officially baptised into the Orthodox Church! Largely thanks to this channel where Orthodox related content is made accessible even in my country where there is only 1 Orthodox church in the entire country

[@MyNameisDianaa]

Jeremy Tan congratulations! May God bless your journey!

[@georgemiller781]

Jeremy Tan Congratulations!

[@jeremytan5297]

Thank you very much guys! its been great so far after my Baptism with the inexpressible joy in me :) !

[@AndreyKarlovich]

Awesome! I was just baptised myself on Pentecost! :)

[@georgemiller781]

Андрей Карлович Glory to God! Congratulations!

[@theoneoutofnazareth]

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THESE VIDEOS! My wife and I are, well, catacoumans, but really, we're not because we're just learning about the Orthodox church online. We just finished watching all of the videos with Frederica Mathewes-Green. I drove by an Antiochan Orthodox church close to my house, but we're still a little too wearisome to visit - even for Vespers. We come from a Charismatic / Pentecostal background (and Baptist), so this transition would be completely earth shattering to our belief structure. That being said, I feel something powerful and comforting about the Orthodox church - it seems to be timeless and I sense God and his presence very strongly when I listen to an Orthodox podcast or watch a video.

[@georgesk2506]

Because its the true church. God bless you and your family

[@mrsbajjerblithe9047]

How is your journey going, brother?

[@saintjoanna5996]

Thank you! Glory to God to enable you to do these videos so well. My husband, children, and I converted into Orthodox Christianity with Holy Baptism, Chrismation, Confession, Holy Communion, and matrimony. Extended family members don't understand/ have questions... I find theses videos will be great for sharing with them because of the short, concise way you have broken down the information in such short segments.

[@hei444]

Now I understand orthodoxy much better. I found new perspectives on my faith and I rediscovered some things I already knew (not being orthodox myself). Thank you very much!

[@1bonatsos]

thank you and blessings be with you Theoria! our ear lends so naturally to your approachability and gentle nature about the topics of our Church and our fathers and how they are transferable to our modern-day lives

[@clxt6413]

I NOW NEED TO KNOW MORE!

[@mrsbajjerblithe9047]

How is your journey going?

[@discoverorthodoxchristiani5341]

Bring this series back!

[@JAYoung-qo8vx]

Thank you for an excellent series, it really opened my heart towards Christianity again. Strangely enough if I'd not been involved in Interfaith, I'd never have visited this site. So much of what I feel is true is encompassed by Orthodoxy yet was lacking in CofE, Buddhism and Judaism (my journey so far) or to be precise the lack of good explanations when young has led me to feel like the prodigal daughter. Not sure whether to laugh or cry.

[@Theoria]

J.A. Young -glory to God. Let us know if we can help in any way

[@JAYoung-qo8vx]

Thank you. This feeling is overwhelming, my heart is singing, yet I am also filled with deep regret for so much time lost, and my own failure again and again in hearing what kept being repeated to me by messengers, both Buddhists and Jews pointing me back. There is no-one so blind as those that can not see, my own anger at the Church has been toxic to my soul. I can not find any Orthodox church near me, yet I need to reach out, I beg you to pray for me, help me to find the help I need and the humbleness to be a child at heart asking questions again. May the Shepherd forgive me and carry me home. I am praying for guidance.

[@jongmagee]

I've watched all the videos of this series, I'm meeting with a priest next week. I really am interested in all of this and I come from a Pentecostal background.

[@Theoria]

jongmagee God bless you!

[@mrfickle]

Thank you for these videos. I'm very much a Reformed Evangelical and have studied theology for I'd say 10 years or so yet I'm very new to discovering orthodoxy. I have found these videos helpful in giving me the basics. There's a lot I find appealing in orthodoxy. I read a book recently by N.T Wright called 'The day the Revolution began' - Rediscovering the meaning of Jesus' Crucifixion. I find a lot of what He says in the book marries up with Orthodox teaching. I'm sort of left wondering tho that everything that's good about orthodoxy I can have within my own tradition. I'm very hesitant to abandon Justification by Grace alone through Faith alone as defined by The Reformers as I'm very worried on what grounds does a Christian have assurance of Forgiveness. I believe that repentance and Faith in Christ's finished work gives a believer total assurance of union with Christ and I'm worried the orthodox church doesn't believe this and sneaks in human works through the back door which contributes to believers salvation. If you could comment or help by referring me to something on this subject I would be grateful.

[@Theoria]

mrfickle - thank you for your comment. Please email us at our website: www.Theoria.tv so we can follow up :)

[@johnrabahi7689]

Amen 🙏 ☦️

[@choppy1356]

great series!

[@cameronwalker3677]

Thank you so very much for sharing our Faith. God Bless you

[@rickgomez2885]

I found these instructional videos very informative and interesting. A suggestion however: would you consider (or has it already been done) putting all of them together in a single video? While the hymn used to introduce and end each small segment is nice, it tends to be a little overdone when going from one segment to the next one, over and over again.

[@sebastianviruzab7986]

We need to reunite now more than ever

[@BlindEyeJones]

I am Orthodox but I find the nationality part of it distracting and frustrating. Many churches don't speak English in the services in North America or they have a smidgen of English mixed in. This is limiting to people who only understand English. I wish it was different.

[@brodor6277]

Walter Peretiatko Hey, I know this comment was made a while ago, so not sure if you’ll see this or are even still interested, but I found a home in the Orthodox Church of America. The services are in English. The website is oca.org and it has directories for the different parish locations throughout the states. I understand that language and culture differences make things hard. Of course, discuss it with your priest, I’m not suggesting you just uproot from your current community outright.

[@eduardovalentin9416]

What is the tone used to chant psalm 33 at the beginning of all these video!? I want to know so bad!

[@easternorthodoxchristianch5645]

"he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is unjust, let him be unjust still"

[@heymelyo]

Hi! I'm so glad to have found your channel. I absolutely love the idea of the Orthodox Church and have been starting to learn more about it. I'm wondering, are Orthodox Christians, Byzantine Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, etc. all part of the same church? I'm a protestant and very new to all of this. A friend recommended the Byzantine church to me, and I'm trying to figure out if these churches are all the same and it's just a difference of lingo/languages spoken during the service? Or are these actually different "denominations" (again, my only reference point is protestantism. I hope this question makes sense). Thanks in advance for anyone's help who is familiar! God bless you!

[@guyfromtheeast3196]

Greek Orthodox, Serbian, Russian, etc. are all part of the same church. The titles "Greek", "Serbian", "Russian", etc. merely refers to the ethnic background of the church. They're all fully Orthodox and in communion with each other though. They aren't different denominations. Someone who attends a Greek Orthodox Church can take communion in a Russia Orthodox church and vice versa. Byzantine Catholics are under the Pope so they are not in communion with the Orthodox Church. They are in communion with the Roman Catholic church. Hope this helps!

[@heymelyo]

That was very helpful! Thank you!

[@RUT812]

I have problems with people saying that Protestants aren’t true Christians like the Orthodox Christians. This is insulting to me, a Protestant who has had a close relationship and walk with God for most of my life. Jesus saves! Not the church.

[@fiddlerontheroof4099]

Orthodoxy seems so nice, but honestly, I just can't wrap my head around Christianity in general. I mean, Jesus beat death so that God could forgive us? I guess for those who believe, it's the ultimate demonstration of just how much God loves us, which seems very uplifting indeed. Nevertheless, sacrificial atonement itself is such a hard idea for me to swallow, and I don't understand how believing in it makes one a better person. Those are merely my perceptions, though, and if you believe, I say more power to you.

[@Theoria]

That is a hard thing to wrap ones mind around. For us Orthodox, God forgave us right away. It’s just that death entered the world through sin, because sin (turning away from God, who is life and gives life) was our turning away from life, the natural consequence being death. When Christ died on the cross and was resurrected (because he was sinless and God himself) he opened the way for communion with us and God. Meaning to life. Eternal life. We have a few videos about this on our channel

[@fiddlerontheroof4099]

@@Theoria Thank you for your kind explanation. What you say makes a lot of sense to me, at least in theory; however, did death not exist before humanity? And surely other creatures die today, creatures which themselves are incapable of sin. That said, death in most cases seems to be a natural phenomenon, having nothing to do with sin, so why is it any different in the case of human beings? How can human death be attributed to sinfulness, when we have physical bodies which like those of any other creature, would eventually ware out and die anyway?

[@Theoria]

Fiddler On The Roof there was no corruption or death before the fall; death came into the world through sin (see Romans 5:12). According to the Fathers and Saints of the Church, we were created for communion with God. Our natural state (pre- the fall) was to have our entire being directed toward God. In this sense, death is unnatural in that it was not meant to be. This is the consequence that all humanity and all the world inherited from that first sin: death. When we turn away from that which gives us life and blessedness (God) we die. When Adam and Eve did this, the effects reached all humanity. Christ opened a new way: new life. And even today we can enter into this life through the Church

[@artrecordings9679]

Frederica, I am Hispanic, and living in a part of the US that is predominantly Hispanic. In my city there are only 2 Orthodox Christian churches. I have been formally invited to come the divine liturgy Sunday mass at one of the more known ones, but, I'm just not sure how ready I am? How do I come into a predominantly white convent, without feeling overly alienated? Most of this city is heavily Mexican-catholic and I just didn't sit right in that faith. I really want to start attending, but, I'm just not sure how to get over my anxiety. And if anyone else could chime in with some kind of coping or anxiety busters, I'm open to anyone, besides negativity. And I know, race is definitely not an issue with our Lord, it's the human thought that causes my anxious mind lol Thank you for youre videos, and for Theoria's videos, even if I never get my church time, I still have plenty to help out with great channels like yours, God Bless!

[@orthoglobus]

Don't think that you will be the ONLY Hispanic in your city attending an Orthodox Divine Liturgy, but the FIRST...

[@artrecordings9679]

That is a very powerful way to look at it, thank you for that :)

[@mrsbajjerblithe9047]

I wonder how your journey toward Orthodoxy is going, and wanted to add a different perspective. It may seem to you that Orthodoxy is white, but this is a misconception borne of our limited human perspective. Remember, ALL Christians across the world - Asian, Black, Middle Eastern, North African, Latin/Hispanic, and White - were once Orthodox. Much of North Africa and the Middle East were forcibly converted by the sword to Islam, and the Latins fell away because Rome broke from Orthodoxy. But we all, whatever our color - historically started out Orthodox. I’m ethnically English and it was a moment of true joy for me when I realized that I, like you, are at the vanguard of a great return to our Mother Church, our original home, as England, too, was once Orthodox. We are truly privileged to see, and be a part of, this return to the True Church. I am also privileged to belong to an OCA (Orthodox Church of America) church that is gloriously filled with all the nations and ethnicities. It truly feels like Heaven on Earth! But for those whose local Orthodox congregations are limited to only a different ethnicity than one’s own - know that your determination to draw near to the Lord’s True Church, forgoing the comfort and familiarity of being around one’s own ethnicity, shows the kind of dying to self that is the mark of a true believer, and I have no doubt that you will be rewarded in Heaven for your piety and self sacrifice. 💕

[@matthewhamstein3811]

How’s your journey going now brother? I assumed over three years you’ve come to further conclusions?

[@markryn7570]

I want to be an Orthodox☦️. But here there is no Orthodox Church except Presbyterian & Catholic.

[@yeehaw6267]

Where can I find that hymn at the beginning?

[@stefanevgenii3350]

This is the hymn we sing at the presanctified Liturgy, Taste and See. www.holycrossonline.org/festal-hymns-cd

[@TVrawks301]

So is this channel dead now? Or are you going to do something else?

[@Theoria]

TVrawks301 - perhaps there was a misunderstanding. I apologize! This is only the last video in this series "Welcome to the Orthodox Church." God willing we plan to make more :) with more people and other topics. If you have suggestions, let us know

[@TVrawks301]

Oh, okay! Thank you! :)

[@pluniaz172]

Do you believe there is a real distinction between God's essence and energies?

[@mariusfilip1847]

+Plunia Z Of course there is. If the essence doesn't exist, this means God is subject to nature - as all there is is what you see. It's either atheism or pantheism - both wrong. If the energies don't exist, this means either God isn't manifest in the world at all (blatantly contradicted by many revelations, all culminating with the supreme revelation of God in Jesus Christ) or the manifestations are not divine. The latter means that the only way of Salvation (union with God) is to unite with His essence. This is nothing else than idolatry - making humans deified not by grace but by nature, i.e. making humans equal to God. The Scripture supports this distinction abundantly: "no one knows the Father but the Son" but on another hand "the Kingdom of God is not here or there, but is it in you"; the Holy Spirit appears as a dove; the Father speaks from on high; etc. What we can see, feel or understand of God are His energies - which may manifest in space and time. What we cannot see, feel or understand is His essence - outside of space and time and knowable to the Son and the Holy Spirit only.

[@katek2050]

Why isn't the alter closed?

[@brysonkennedy5527]

Hello! How are you doing today! Please pardon me for intruding into your privacy, but I just wanted to know if you're a fan!!!

[@katek2050]

@@brysonkennedy5527 yes i am

[@brysonkennedy5527]

@@katek2050 Nice

[@godgivenglory5842]

Do Orthodox Church believe in thousands years reign of Christ literally???

[@cameronwalker3677]

God is eternal and immortal.Bot sure exactly what your asking

[@frankherbert6476]

No. Orthodox understands the millennium of Holy Scripture mystically and symbolically to mean an indeterminate number of years. Revelation (known as the Apocalypse of John) is considered a very deep/mystical book and the Church is careful not to nail down interpretations...remember, Revelations was not accepted as a book of the NT for a LONNNG TIME for good reason. We also don't believe in The Rapture.

[@milojames5593]

The production quality of these videos is really quite good. On the substance of this one, though, three things seemed odd (to me, anyway). (1) a discussion of data ("vast amounts of data") to show how knowing Jesus "works out." And, (2) a proffer that this "data" shows how to know Jesus (3) in a way that is "safe." I truly don't mean to criticize; for me, at least, for a video purporting to answer the question "Why Orthodoxy?" a discussion of data concerning the mechanics of knowledge of and union with God seems so bland. And (outside DIY hesychasm, anyway) can getting to know Him be other than safe? Again, I don't mean to criticize, nor to be obtuse (though maybe I am guilty of both). It's just confusing (to me, anyway).