r/OrientalOrthodoxy

Hey y'all, I'm currently a baptized Russian Orthodox Christian in America of 2 years, seriously considering converting to Oriental Orthodoxy, which will most likely happen. It's still crazy now that I'm thinking about it, and I'll be honest and say that it's bittersweet walking away from such a beautiful tradition that changed my walk with Christ on every possible level, but I trust that God has bigger and better things planned for me, and that if I'm making a mistake he will correct me, this is where I feel led after 3 months of my indepth study on the matter. I'm planning on primarily attending an Armenian Orthodox Church, potentially a Syriac Orthodox Church, I guess wherever I feel most home at. I had a few questions that I hope you don't take offense to if you don't mind:

Are you seeing an influx of converts or are most of the parishioners from the culture? What is the perception in your Churches of women marrying someone outside the culture? Will I have a hard time finding a spouse? I'm 24 years old and currently looking for a partner which is why I ask. Finally, what would be your advice to someone converting from Eastern Orthodoxy to Oriental Orthodoxy? Thank you, and God bless you.

Hello! I am a convert who was baptised in January but has inquired a year ago. I attend a Tewahedo church once a month due to me living 1-1.5 hours away. I find it very difficult to regularly attend church h due to it starting at 6am and having to get no sleep the night before due to city traffic as well as being a college student. There is, however, a Greek Orthodox Church about 20 minutes away from me and was wondering if I should go to that church 3 times a month and then go to my OO church once a month. I obviously know not to take their communion or believe in their Chalcedonian views. I would just like to attend liturgy and be within a more local community of orthodox people. I am open to all opinions and advice.

I am a prominent reader of St. Augustine and have been studying his Christological definitions, pneumatology, and the rest of his corpus over the past few years. Through extensive research, I believe the case can be made that St. Augustine is incredibly important to the miaphysite tradition, despite not having his works influence most of theologians.

Most importantly, St. Augustine was viewed as Nestorian because of many online Apologists such as Apostolic Orthodoxy. If you have any suggestions or critiques, do offer them. I tried to keep my points concise so I apologize if it seems like a lot of "quote-mining".

I was wondering if the patriarchs in Ethiopia are aware of the buzz surrounding the Ethiopian Bible? There are many, many fake bibles labeled Ethiopian Bible on Amazon, many with heretical Gnostic texts included with them. Videos about the Ethiopian Bible also contain a lot of falsehoods, and the comment section abounds with inaccuracies and conspiracy theories.

I wish there was an official statement that I could direct people too. I fear that all these falsehoods will lead people astray if left unchecked.

I understand that the Armenian Catholic Church uses unleavened bread and administers Holy Communion under both species. How is the Eucharist distributed during Mass? In some videos, it looks like the priest is holding both the chalice and the host at the same time—how is that possible?

i really don’t know what to do. i have been inquiring orthodoxy for months and was only able to visit liturgy one time after literally having the hardest time convincing my parents. i’ve gotten to a point where I don’t want to go to my church because I just feel like everything is wrong. I’m also feeling the furthest from God I’ve ever felt. I already struggle with doubt & anxiety. I always felt my faith wasn’t as strong as others. Now I’m struggling with the same sin, even falling into something which I was able to stop for over a year. this doesn’t help when i’m already feeling so far from Him. maybe it’s the ADHD but now i’m struggling more than ever with focusing on scripture reading. i want to keep visiting the orthodox church and talk to a priest but idk how without explaining to my parents why I’m inquiring orthodoxy when in every conversation they just make me feel like i’m confused. how am i supposed to actually experience the church when they discourage me from going without someone who is “mature in the faith” the only people they’d trust me to go with often have conflicting schedules with the liturgy times which is why it took months to even plan my first visit in the first place. am i not an adult who can make my own decisions? im already dealing with the anxiety that comes with possibly leaving protestantism for orthodoxy. i am heavily involved in my church which is very small. i’m also afraid that my departure will reflect badly on my father who is the pastor. i’m afraid i’ll be letting down my family who helped to literally build the church, but I don’t think I’m spiritually growing there. I don’t even know if God’s presence is there. we don’t have the eucharist. i don’t know why i feel so stuck right now. i feel like i don’t know how to pray or listen for God’s voice. i don’t know why i feel so helpless when some people may be literally risking their lives for inquiring orthodoxy. i don’t know what God’s plan is for me, but I pray i can persevere through this somehow to come to the truth. all i want is to have a real relationship with Christ and to know Him more intimately and learn how to love Him even more. idk what to do. please pray for me.

For some background info, I come from a Coptic orthodox background in a city and a community that's only had 1 Coptic church present for 45 years now. We recently, in the last 3.5 years, have seen an surge of Catechumens and quite a few baptisms into the faith (yay). Then recently, we've been struck with some tough news that a recent lead of the catechumen class and some of the recently baptized have left our parish for another Eastern orthodox church, due to issues of Culture in the church. Issues that unfortunately have affected his family, micro-racism that truly has upset me that it still occurs towards people within a Church community. A lot of compounded moments have led to them leaving our specific parish and I guess I'm just saddened primarily by the choice made.

To my knowledge, this isn't an uncommon complaint within Orthodox parishes, it happens all the time. I guess I'm personally struggling with losing a fellow comrade in service, and honestly a mentor.

That being said, I always felt that the Body and Blood of Christ that we partake in more than enough for us. Christ and the apostles endured such treacherous moments in their lives and, in yet the present day, these cultural issues that occur in church create such a rift for many and divide communities.

I'm just at a loss of how to even approach a change when certain things are engrained in a peoples way of life and upbringing. Some moments are unintentional and unintended and people hurt, yet i do wonder what our goal is when it comes to church as whole, if these cultural issues continue to drive people away?

I know I'm rambling a bit, i hope there's even a string of thoughts in this message that actually makes sense, but would love to hear others perspective.

So my mother used to work as a caregiver for a friend of the family and last time I visited I saw that it was too much to for her, she was exhausted and needed to be with her husband. So I moved out to continue her job and she moved back the country were we came from to live with her husband.

Now she often comes to visit because it’s her House and I am only Herr until her husband retires that’s when they Both come back to live in the House

Now my Problem is everytime my mothers comes to visit we live in the Same House and we just can’t get along. I am disturbed by her behavior and it‘s difficult for me to just submit. I talk back a lot and I call her out a lot and things get messy.

I know I should just be quiet and say yes and do what she says. But I consider her very unfair and she acts without thinking speaking recklessly accusing me falsely and then I struggle to stay quit and respectful.

Please if any one got a advice or just send a prayer for me. It‘s very hard for me.

Hello everyone I am an Eastern Orthodox catechumen thinking about going to an Indian Orthodox church. I am well aware it is Oriental Orthodox. I am drawn to going there because I am Punjabi and always took lots of terminology and identity they use when expressing my faith. I grew up Sikh and my family doesn't know about Orthodoxy. I always tell them I'm off to Qurbana when I go to church. But now I am curious about the Indigenous Qurbana of the church of St. Thomas. I am worried though, what if being Punjabi I won't fit in with a mostly Malayam congregation? I also can't speak Malayam I only know English, Punjabi, and a little bit of spanish. I know a parish 50ish minutes away from me and worried about going. That being said many of their practices may feel native from my upbringing. I'm still worried that the language barrier would be a huge problem and I won't belong ethnically.

Is conception via IUI or IVF acceptable. Both aren’t the natural way of getting a baby as they don’t require u having a partner but just a donor. Can nuns participate in this as they still will be regarded as virgins

Greetings, brothers. I was wondering, since we consider Christ to be in a single composite nature & hypostasis, how do we explain the crucifixion, Did the one united nature die, and if so, how does that not result in divinity also dying (Although that it is not possible and even improper to seperate the humanity and divinity after the union). I read in some Church Father (although I dont have it at the top of my head) that its like sunlight shining on a tree - when an axe hits the tree it hits the sunlight as well but the tree gets cut and the sunlight remains unharmed even though the axe touches them together (I feel like this is an imperfect analogy as the sunlight and tree are in differnet substances, although they get hit together which is like when Theodotus of Ancyra says that we appropriate the suffers to the one united nature). Can someone please explain this, or are we simply to say that this is the mystery/paradox of the Orthodox Christian faith. Thanks.

Any suggestions on where I can get one?

For reference I'm asking because my nearest Oriental Orthodox church is like a 12 minute drive and my parents are atheists who refuse to take me to church. I also cannot drive or take public transport but there is a Catholic church 2 minute walk away so I was wondering am I good to confess sins in a Catholic church as a Coptic

Hi all,
I’m new to the orthodox faith and am planning to start attending a Syriac Orthodox parish in the next month or two (currently not able because of health issues). I’ve been raised atheist and converted to Protestant Pentecostalism roughly 3 years ago. I was really passionate about following Christ yet had no knowledge about the sacraments and church traditions. Thanks to God He let me to what I believe to be His true church 🙏🏻. Since I’m still recovering from a severe burn out I’m not yet able to attend church or read, watch or practice a lot due to cognitive problems, yet I do want to start reading* somethin*g to learn about the faith and grow closer to God.

Does anyone have any advice on accessible, not too challenging books from the Oriental orthodox tradition? I’ve found a Syriac catechism online in my language (Dutch), and am curious for a prayer book, writings of saints etc or even modern guide or inspiring book about the faith. Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks in advance & God bless! 🙏🏻☦️