Years ago back in college something interesting happened to me. Since someone asked me to post something here goes you might get a little kick out of it ...
So there I was a business major and on some whim I went to eat in the cafe by myself. I forget why but I just wanted to eat and get out of there, no socializing at all. So I grabbed my food, sat, said my prayers silently, blessed myself and started to eat.
This professor comes and joins me. He said he saw me bless myself the wrong way (freaking Catholics LOL), so basically he came to admonish me or rebuke me.
He sat down and joined me. I explained to him I\'m not Roman Catholic but an Orthodox Christian and we bless ourselves to the right shoulder first (I forget if I told him about the symbolism of how we hold our fingers too). He looked at me with a surprised look on his face.
Turns out the guy was a visiting adjunct business prof in the grad school. But he was currently working on Doctorate in Religion, or ministry (something church / theological based) at Fuller Theological Seminary. (a school that supposedly teaches and debates many religious views)
From there I guess he was thinking he\'d take this chance to \"minister\" to me about all things wrong with the Orthodox church. LOL was he in for a lesson.
So in our conversation he brings up really slyly ... \"you know the problem YOU PEOPLE have is the same as the Catholics, your priests can\'t get married so you don\'t have enough priest and your churches are dying.\" This said with a smug look on his face.
I tried to hold back my grin. And lovingly explained to him, Ummmmm, No you are incorrect, an Orthodox Priest can BE married, but can not GET married. Further if the church on the whole is dying, why is it the second largest Christian denomination in the world?
He looks at me half crazy the other half in shock, only able to stammer a, \"what?\" I told him there are many Orthodox priests that are married, but once ordained don\'t get married. I personally had a cousin whom is an Orthodox priest for 40 years, with a wife and several children, same man who baptized me, Chrismated me and gave me communion on Sunday.
He couldn\'t believe it. So he went on to his next criticism, that we all answer to a or did he say THE Pope. (as I sat there ready to bang my head on the table) To which I again as best as I could calmly and lovingly told him we are a separate church from the RC\'s, ever since the schism of 1054, and that was rather made solid over some diverging presuppositions, theology, mindsets oh and that pesky crusade against us in the 1200\'s.
The conversation went on for a hour, of him just asking me and my educating him about all my humble knowledge of Orthodoxy. No one joined us at that table. It became quickly apparent his whole knowledge of Orthodoxy was based on what was apparently a 5 min lecture where he was taught we are basically Roman Catholics. (same problem a buddy of mine had who was working on his Doctorate in Philosophy of Religion at Claremont, so I was used to this)
In the end he was dumbfounded by the differences, and told me, \"I\'ve learned more about Orthodoxy from you in 1 hour than I have in several years working on my doctorate.\"
Ya know to this day I don\'t know what happened to him. I don\'t know if I did Orthodoxy proud but I did my best, and I\'m pretty sure I gave him accurate knowledge. Heck I hope I\'m remembering this whole story as accurately as possible.
All that I am sure was on that day I didn\'t want to talk to anyone, I just wanted to eat and leave. God had a different plan, and I\'m glad He was able to do something through me.
Anyway, the lesson I learned that day, don\'t be afraid to bless yourself, you never know whom is watching.
(oh wait does that make me an ecumenist or was I just sharing my faith and correcting mis perceptions?)
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