Pray for me on Nostr: Sorry for the long reply. Rather than carrying on the tradition, paradigms, and ...
Sorry for the long reply.
Rather than carrying on the tradition, paradigms, and culture of their ancestors you have otherwise great kids abandoning Westen churches for an alien tradition. Conservative liturgical protestant traditions exist and they skip right over them for the latest fad.
It’s ceding ground to the enemy.
On top of that, when 90% of people talk about eastern orthodoxy they talk soundbites and have mental images of death metal monks and incense. They don’t actually know anything about the real on the ground challenges within Orthodoxy e.g. EO as a demographic are extremely liberal, impious, and spiritually dead. They turn up to a church and learn that they’re not mean to sing, they need to pay for access to the sacraments, and that the entire congregation is suspicious of anyone who isn’t from their patch of eastern Europe. The EO like every other church is filled with humans who have human faults.
They fall in love with the meme not the reality.
Lastly, because even the spiritual and historical claims are doubtful at best. It’s true that there is a vocal minority of online EO who are le based, but eastern orthodoxy isn’t immune to liberalism, innovation, or outside influence. They aren’t the early church trapped in amber. They aren’t the iron guard. They aren’t even particularly good at resisting modernity. Their biggest advantage is being predominantly located in civilisational backwaters
They aren’t what they say on the tin
(I know that they’re Christian. I don’t think they’re evil, bad, or even the worst. But I’m saddened by people privileging the EO optics over reality. Every church sucks right now, and they current attitudes towards the EO are a sugar rush that will lead to hurt, burnout, and disappointment.)
Rather than carrying on the tradition, paradigms, and culture of their ancestors you have otherwise great kids abandoning Westen churches for an alien tradition. Conservative liturgical protestant traditions exist and they skip right over them for the latest fad.
It’s ceding ground to the enemy.
On top of that, when 90% of people talk about eastern orthodoxy they talk soundbites and have mental images of death metal monks and incense. They don’t actually know anything about the real on the ground challenges within Orthodoxy e.g. EO as a demographic are extremely liberal, impious, and spiritually dead. They turn up to a church and learn that they’re not mean to sing, they need to pay for access to the sacraments, and that the entire congregation is suspicious of anyone who isn’t from their patch of eastern Europe. The EO like every other church is filled with humans who have human faults.
They fall in love with the meme not the reality.
Lastly, because even the spiritual and historical claims are doubtful at best. It’s true that there is a vocal minority of online EO who are le based, but eastern orthodoxy isn’t immune to liberalism, innovation, or outside influence. They aren’t the early church trapped in amber. They aren’t the iron guard. They aren’t even particularly good at resisting modernity. Their biggest advantage is being predominantly located in civilisational backwaters
They aren’t what they say on the tin
(I know that they’re Christian. I don’t think they’re evil, bad, or even the worst. But I’m saddened by people privileging the EO optics over reality. Every church sucks right now, and they current attitudes towards the EO are a sugar rush that will lead to hurt, burnout, and disappointment.)