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To: arielguard

“Could you please list some examples (not all) of what the converts are doing wrong, and what the corrections are?”

First, I have no reason you’ve done anything wrong.

In answer to your question, what I and other “cradle” Orthodox have observed among some converts is a sort of holier than thou, we’re better at pretending to be 19th century Russian peasants than you cradles mindset. One actually told me that the proof of their holiness as a group was the number of them who had been ordained as deacons!

A few years ago the infamous Frankie Schaeffer, a convert from protestantism to Orthodoxy, published a newspaper called, I think, The Christian Advocate which continually trumpeted that Orthodoxy in America and soon in the world, would be brought to its purest state by American converts. He had a massive following among converts, especially in the AOC. Among his fellow travelers were the Ben Loman crowd! The paper is now gone, thank God.

There is an attitude that evangelical converts with their atonement theology and scriptural text generators know and understand the Faith better than the yiayas and papous who have lived Orthodoxy for decades, who, as my convert wife says, “walk Orthodox”. You know, my great grandmother couldn’t spell canon. I doubt she could read, at least much. Her best friend throughout her entire long life was Panagia, and I don’t mean some sort of “spiritual” or “theoretical” friendship. I mean a very real sit in the same room or under an olive tree together friendship. I’ve watched catechumens and recent converts in an AOC parish snicker at those people or dismiss their simple theology while the silly convert priest, who can speak neither Arabic, nor Greek nor Slavonic, did nothing! Luckily, a very dear older friend of mine, a Syrian American, cradle and parish council president let the arrogant jerks have it in spades.

We see accusations of the heresy of ethnophyletism from converts because they think that a protestantized, Americanized Orthopraxis is superior to 2000 years of Orthodox Christianity. Its disgusting.

Shall I go on?


21 posted on 06/15/2009 3:06:22 PM PDT by Kolokotronis (Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!)
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To: Kolokotronis

No need to go on. Seems to me you’ve experienced the reverse of the ethnophyletism some converts experience. Please forgive them, and give them guidance. However, online comments often come across poorly because there is no true human contact to them. Please be gentle to us baby Orthodox, and only use a strong hand on the adolescents.


24 posted on 06/15/2009 4:45:53 PM PDT by arielguard (Fasting without prayer is vainglory.)
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To: Kolokotronis

“Shall I go on?”

Naah, Kolo. No need. I can see why such attitudes would color your outlook and why you said the things you did. I actually feel you to an extent. One reason I left Protestantism was the “Holier than EVERYONE” attitude. Self-righteousness is a very, VERY ugly thing, and I hate it with every fiber of my existence.

I lost my temper at you earlier on this forum, and I need to publicly apologize to you. Please forgive me.


25 posted on 06/15/2009 4:49:43 PM PDT by Yudan (Living comes much easier once we admit we're dying.)
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