I thought I'd point out this group - for people to share their conversion stories.
[url=http://my.orthodoxcircle.com/groups/groupprofile.php?groupname=Conversion%20Stories]Conversion Stories group[/url]
Posts
Dear Orthodox soldier
Dear Sir!
What changed your mind from Tibetan
Buddhist to Sikh? And then from Sikh to
Protestant? And then from Protestant to
Roman Catholic? And then: here\'s the
important step: from Roman Catholic to the
Holy Orthodox Church?
Hey, I recently compiled the story of my personal journey to Orthodoxy on my blog, www.nomey.blogspot.com, including links to posts from important turning points along the way from a Protestant Youth Pastor/ Young Life Director to an Orthodox convert.
Please include my friend and co-worker, Vladimir G. in your prayers. He has no religious background having grown up in Communist Russia. He is amused that I have converted to Orthodoxy - but I also believe there is more than mere curiousity at work.
The unification of ROCOR with ROC had no impact on Vladimir, since he didn't even know what those letters stood for. But the fact that it was held at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow struck a chord. Vlad used to swim at the public swimming hole on the site where the Cathedral was destroyed and rebuilt.
All his life, he had been under the impression that the land was un-useable. Stalin wanted to build his great monument of Lenin on the site, but the earth was too mushy. Now the Cathedral is rebuilt, and Vlad is wondering how is that possible...
I told him he had been swimming in holy water, and God was saving the site for His Church to be built.
Dear Manyy, I agree with you 100 percent on this. After all, one of the most holy prayers, the Trisagion, of the Orthodox liturgy, has \"Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on \"us\".
However, you are also right that there is a place for private prayer.
Both can be inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The Orthodox can pray
\"LORD Jesus Christ, Son of GOD, have mercy on me, a sinner\".
And \"LORD Jesus Christ, Son of GOD, have mercy on us sinners.\"
Also, Saint David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, sang \"The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want ...\"
And in the Old Orthodox Prayer books, there are personal prayers using \"I\" and so on, about oneself talking to God.
And there are also prayers where we pray \"we\" and \"us\".
Protestantism, however, places too much emphasis on \"I\" \"me\" \"my\" and \"mine\", sometimes virtually to the exclusion of \"us\" and \"we\".
Orthodoxy does not do that.
That\'s why it\'s a challenge for \"me\" to get used to Orthodoxy, as \"I\" was raised in Protestantism, which emphasizes the individual aspect of salvation.
Oh well.
May God have mercy on us!
While when it comes to confessing \"our\" sins, it should be a matter of \"I\" have sinned; and not thinking of the sins of others.
Sins tend to be done by individuals.
May God have mercy on us.
Always,
In Pennsylvania
Scott