Quite
often, it seems to us that our questions and doubts have no answer; that they
destroy the image of the world that the religion paints; and that… they are
absolutely unique. We stop looking for the truth when in fact, the reason for
our unwillingness to continue looking for truth is our laziness. Every person
has a decent knowledge of some facts of lesser importance from the standpoint
of a person’s posthumous existence and the eternal life, e.g., professional
knowledge, politics, economy, technologies, and sports facts. Unfortunately,
our level of proficiency in the practical religious experiences accumulated by
the human race and our understanding of the meaning of our lives is extremely
low. As a rule, people possess an astonishingly naïve and superficial
understanding of all those issues. We lack the basic information about the
methods that our ancestors used to tackle the essential questions, what they
were seeking, what they based their philosophies on, what their best
representatives achieved, and who their spiritual leaders were. We have an
immense advantage over the previous generations due to so many books, the
ability to ask priests online, to go to church freely, and the availability of
pilgrimages to holy places. What is more, our questions tend to be quite
common, and there are dozens of answers to those questions in many sources. We
would like to give you several pieces of advice concerning the most typical
questions.
Source: dishupravoslaviem.ru
- There are
many people who would like to take a neutral position with regard to God:
we are not against the Church but prefer to stay away from Her; we believe
in God in our heart. Unfortunately, it’s self-deception, a fake faith.
- There is
no middle ground in the spiritual realm: if we don’t pursue God, we reject
him and create our own ideals.
- There can
be a powerful temptation to criticize people who go to church and to point
at their bad actions in order to justify one’s inaction. Don’t make this
mistake. The people you are so eager to condemn are on the road which
leads to the purification and salvation of their souls, and the Church has
given them all the necessary tools and means to accomplish that. No one
becomes holy by the very fact of entering the Church. However, if you come
to Church, you have found the only way that leads to holiness.
- We are
often quick to idealize a priest and then be disappointed as we find out
the priest’s numerous shortcomings. Priests are transmitters of God’s
grace and love to us thanks to the Apostolic succession that they receive
during the ordination; in all other respects, they are humans just like
everybody else, with their own good and bad personal traits. Don’t waste
your time trying to find a “unique” priest who corresponds to your ideas
about a “real” priest. It won’t do you any good but will easily help you
to explain off why you don’t go to church.
- You read
about wrongdoings of clergy in the papers and don’t go to church because of
that? It’s no different from a patient’s refusal to go to a hospital due
to low-quality medical care instead of looking for a good doctor. Even if
there is only one doctor in the whole country who is capable of healing
their mortal bodies, people stand in lines to see him. We are speaking of
the immortal soul and the eternal life. Even the most die-hard detractors
of the Church don’t claim that 100 per cent of Her servants are unworthy
of their ecclesiastical rank. Let us avoid mixing things up. The Church is
a place where a human being meets God in the Sacrament of Eucharist (See:
how to prepare for Communion), not a metropolitan’s palaces or the
notorious priests in Mercedes Benz cars.
- The
Orthodox faith puts you off by its dogmatism. You are a modern, forward-looking
person, and you value freedom of opinion. Try substituting the word
‘dogmatic’ for ‘eternal’ (if you are still frightened of it, see here). If
anyone tells you that the Church prohibits watching TV or reading books
about Father Brown, don’t believe them. Only your conscience and your
spiritual experience can restrain you.
- Be ready
for external and internal obstacles on your road to the faith. You are not
alone: these obstacles are called ‘temptations’. You will be surrounded by
lots of brilliant prospects, unexpected worries, attractions, and perhaps
even troubles. Stand firm, for If God be for us, who can be
against us? (Romans 8:31).
- You’re
afraid of doing something wrong in church and being scolded by “angry old
ladies”. Currently, it almost never happens. The vast majority of priests
stop such attacks. If someone comments on your behavior, pay attention: it
may be reasonable. If you run into a conflict in church, be calm, polite,
and firm. Remember that the old lady has never been appointed to give
advice or admonish anyone. (And see the previous tip, too). Read more
about church etiquette.
- Avoid
pseudo-Orthodox horror stories. Thrilling stories about social security
numbers as the ‘number of the Beast’; about present-day prophets; about
exact dates of the end of the world have nothing in common with the
Orthodox faith. It is meaningless to waste your time fighting external
enemies when you haven’t put your inner self under control.
- You
shouldn’t keep feeling ‘not ready for the Church’ and continue to delay
your conversion to the faith. Don’t be afraid of mistakes. You cannot
learn to swim if you don’t get into the water.
- You are a
free person, and you will remain free when you come to church. The
Orthodox Church is not a sect. No one and nothing but your faith will
dictate you how to build your life; no one will coerce you into doing
anything or limit your freedom. On the other hand, your concept
of freedom will acquire a completely new and wonderful meaning
after you turn to the faith. And ye shall know the truth, and the
truth shall make you free (John 8:32).
By
Anatoly Badanov
Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds
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