Exploring Orthodoxy 2

As part of my "Orthodox journey" I have started corresponding with some Orthodox people from a bulletin board about Orthodoxy I found on the web. This has been both interesting and off-putting.

It is definitely interesting to see how many Orthodox seem to be converts from other denominations. Some have clearly thought deeply and hard about their spiritual journey and have (as I see it) given up many of the freedoms of the modern church to align themselves with the traditional church. More of these are men than women, of the ones I have met so far. I don't think this is coincidence. It is good to see so many people of great spiritual insight and depth, who have really thought about their faith are a part of Orthodoxy. To tell the truth, I was a little surprised. I guess I have been hanging around too many "nominal Orthodox" who take a cultural view of the whole thing, rather than seeing Orthodoxy as a genuine spiritual way of life. Who view "being orthodox" as part of "being Greek" and something to be clung to and defended as part of a cultural heritage, rather than as something with value in its own right.

The off-putting part is the attitude of the orthodox (in general) towards the rest of us (called the "heterodox"). This attitude is condescending, dismissive and uninterested. The answer to nearly my questions so far has been, in essence "because the Fathers say so" or "because it has always been done that way" and especially "you don't understand because you are not Orthodox" and "if you don't like it you don't have to join".

Now that is a Catch-22!
- you don't understand because you don't have the "mind" of the Orthodox
- you don't like it because you don't understand it
- if you don't like it, don't join
- unless you join, you can't have the mind of the Orthodox...

This seems to justify an attitude of complacency toward evangelism and of self-satisfaction with the status quo. The Orthodox church sees no need to make itself open, available or relevant to those in the society around it, because "if they are called by the Holy Spirit, they will come" - this despite the self-evident barriers against any such calling!

I also find it interesting to notice how many who converted to Orthodoxy saying that they "just knew" as soon as they walked into their first Orthodox church that they were among those "called". I guess that must mean that I am not...