I was just in a Christian chat room (not here)

I go to many Orthodox Churches and one of them is my primary one.
All i can tell you is that the Church is historically accurate but you will find a lot of tradition and varying customs between countries which are a bit of a culture shock not only for an American Protestant but even a Roman Catholic.
All i can say it: don't try to figure out who's right but just have Peace and Hope in Jesus and all the churches are trying their best to customize their message of God too.
Go and pick up the best in all churches.

"For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there "

Thank you for your civilised response 🙏. Do you have any books for beginners on orthodox christianity that you'd recommend?

I don't have a church home yet and it's something I'm trying to seek out I've reached out to three thus far one Catholic, one Anglican (modern) and one Greek orthodox (the only orthodox church near me), I've had no response from the Anglican church and the response from the Catholic one left me a little disappointed, the response from the orthodox church has been good so far and I've inquired about the catechism still awaiting a response. I have some apprehensions about Orthodoxy but I'm trying to put that aside, the main one being the Greek part as I'm not ethnically or culturally Greek so there's a disconnect there and the other being the veneration of icons but I'm hoping these are things I can talk through with the clergy at the church in hopes I won't offend them of course.

So, here's the Orthodox Bible: The Orthodox Study Bible - Hardcover edition: 9780718003593 - Christianbook.com
See if you can find this in Amazon or a bookstore near you.

As far as your approach goes, you don't need to contact anybody.
Just walk into any church and see how the vibe is. Pick up the best and discard the worst. See how willing they are to talk to you and welcome you or if you need time alone to pray, do that too.

These orthodox Christians said that the orthodox church is the only true church, the right one basically...

I've never joined the church but was raised culturally Catholic so hence why I inquired about joining but the reaction I received from the priest (in person) wasn't good, I don't know if I interrupted him or something that could be the reason as to why he seemed like he didn't want to deal with me.

These orthodox Christians said that the orthodox church is the only true church, the right one basically now whilst I have been looking into orthodoxy there's stuff about it I don't believe in but according to them, everything the orthodox church does is in the bible and following sola Scriptura is unbiblical as it was the early church who complied the bible. what do you guys think about this?

That is correct. The Orthodox Church maintains that it is the only true church. But a careful examination of their doctrines and practices shows that that is NOT the case.

Their fundamental belief about salvation is not biblical.
"But we must ask: is salvation a one-time event in life? What is the role of faith and works in the mystery of our salvation?... Jesus connected personal faith in Him to our eternal salvation... But Jesus also demanded good works to go along with faith... But what does St. Paul say about ethical works? Do ethical works have a place in salvation? The answer is, most certainly, yes." https://www.goarch.org/-/how-are-we-saved-

So they teach that we are justified by grace through faith but we must add "ethical" works to or salvation.

When Orthodox Catholics claim they are the only historically true church, they mean in contrast to the Roman Catholic church. Other Christians don't even rate a blip on the radar.

OC and RC were originally one church; one having its seat in the East and the other in the West. They were at odds almost from the beginning until they formally split; each one now claiming they are the one true church. This is where the "orthodox" comes from: Orthodox Catholics claim to be orthodox, while they consider Roman Catholics unorthodox.

Neither one is the true church; your instincts are correct.

Oh, so why don't Orthodox Christians call themselves Orthodox Catholics then? Anytime I'd bring it back to Jesus saying more than 3 people joining in the worship of him is a church I'd get a response of what the Book of acts or what Paul the apostle wrote and I'm not well versed enough in the bible to understand If paul or the book of acts upholds the belief of bishops and priests etc.

When Orthodox Catholics claim they are the only historically true church, they mean in contrast to the Roman Catholic church. Other Christians don't even rate a blip on the radar.

OC and RC were originally one church; one having its seat in the East and the other in the West. They were at odds almost from the beginning until they formally split; each one now claiming they are the one true church. This is where the "orthodox" comes from: Orthodox Catholics claim to be orthodox, while they consider Roman Catholics unorthodox.

Neither one is the true church; you're instincts are correct.

Oh, so why don't Orthodox Christians call themselves Orthodox Catholics then? Anytime I'd bring it back to Jesus saying more than 3 people joining in the worship of him is a church I'd get a response of what the Book of acts or what Paul the apostle wrote and I'm not well versed enough in the bible to understand If paul or the book of acts upholds the belief of bishops and priests etc.

If you talk to them again, ask them to show you the scriptures on which they base their beliefs. If they do you can study it for yourself and make your own conclusion. If they won't, or seems evasive and reluctant, it's a sure sign you're dealing with insincere people. Most likely they'll point you to some tradition outside the Bible.

They were mostly pointing to Paul's letters and the passage in the bible of Jesus talking about making a church on this rock to Peter: In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said to Simon, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

Whenever I and this other lady stated we read the bible and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us they said sometimes Christians think they're being guided by the holy spirit but it could be satan instead, so basically they seemed to be saying you can't trust that God's spirit is guiding you when it comes to reading and interpreting scripture but how else would I do so because if I ask a priest for example then the same argument could be used.

I don't know, I see the points of both Catholics and Orthodox but I can't shake the feeling of all this middleman business and so much emphasis on the church will inevitably make me feel distant from God and Jesus which isn't my goal obviously as a new Christian and just a follow of Christ in general. it's unfortunate that the one church I felt was just worshipping Jesus seems to be closed for renovations right now.

Hi, Tanaya.

The New Testament was originally written in koine Greek, so, every time that you read the word "church" in the New Testament, you are reading an English translation of the Greek word ekklēsia. The word ekklēsia is a compound word which is formed from two other Greek words, ek and kaleō.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1577/kjv/tr/0-1/

The word ek means "out of" or "from".

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1537/kjv/tr/0-1/

The word kaleō means "call" or "bid".

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2564/kjv/tr/0-1/

With this in mind, the word "church" or ekklēsia literally means "those who have been called or bidden out or from".

From where has the "church" been "called out" or "bidden from"?

According to the Bible, the "church" or Christians have been called out of darkness and into God's marvelous light by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:6

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

1 Peter 2:9

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"

In other words, the "church" is not really a particular sect or denomination. Instead, it is made up of believers all over the world who have truly been called out of darkness and into God's marvelous light.

On another thread, I gave you a link to a movie about William Tyndale who is highly responsible for the English translation of the Bible. When Tyndale was translating the Greek word ekklēsia into English, he deliberately translated it as "congregation" instead of "church" because he knew that people would wrongly associate the word "church" with a particular sect or denomination. In his day and age, the prevailing sect or denomination was Roman Catholicism. Here is a link to that movie, again. If you watch just a few seconds of it, from 28:48 to 29:24, then you will see this depicted there:


Also, in a figurative sense, Christ's "church" is likened to a body in scripture, and Christ is likened to the head of the body.

Ephesians 5:23

"For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body."

Colossians 1:18

"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."

In the same way that your thoughts, or mind, or head governs the activities of your body, so ought the church be governed by the mind of Christ (check out my username). The only way that you are ever going to be able to properly determine exactly what Christ's mind is on any given topic is to read the word of God, the Bible, for yourself because Christ's mind is revealed to us throughout its pages. If you just run to a particular sect or denomination instead, then they are inevitably going to indoctrinate you into their particular set of beliefs. God has not left you alone in this quest for truth or in your quest to truly understand Christ's mind on any given topic. Instead, if you are a Christian, then you have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who is called both "the Spirit of truth" and "the Spirit of Christ' in scripture, and he will help you to understand exactly what Christ's mind is if you simply pray and ask him for guidance and assistance.

Basically, what I am trying to say to you here is that the "church" is not really a particular sect or denomination, but rather the worldwide congregation of called out believers. To that point, like you said, wherever two are three are gathered together in his name, they are gathering as the "church".

I'd picked Orthodox over RRC but I'm biased as my grandparents were Orthodox, and had a deep faith and personal walk with Christ. I believe God heard my grandmothers prayers for salvation, too! Not only me, but many other cousins came to Christ.

I think you should look closely at free churches! Forget about liturgy, and find a good Baptist church and go with it! We are saved by grace through faith in Christ, not through the rituals & rites of a church or denomination. Jesus wants us to know him. Directly!

"This is good, and pleases God our Savior,4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time." 1 Tim 2:3-6

A church or priest can't be between you and Christ. You need to find him and get to know him yourself.

"9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." Romans 10:9-10

This is the way to be saved! A church can't save you! Only Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Then, find a church where the Word of God is preached. A church where people care, especially about new comers. You won't grow without a church.

But you also need to get a modern version of the Bible, NIV or HCSB/CSB or NET are great versions in of the Bible in contemporary English that you will understand. Read the gospels. Matthew. Mark, Luke & John. And start in Genesis and read the OT straight through. Im
On my 58th time doing that and I get more out of it each time. The narratives are amazing stories-all true! If something strikes you in a verse or paragraph, write it in a book. Memorize it!

And pray! Not formal written prayers, or repetitive prayers. Praise God for who he is. Pray for specific answers. Ask God what you can do for him on this world. You can be in mission with God!

God bless you as God calls you. Try not to get in a church with the same rites & rituals every week. Listen to God!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not to your own understanding!
In all your ways acknowledge him,
And he will direct your paths!" Proverbs 3:5-6

Sounds like cultic mentality: Trust us, not yourself; we have the ultimate truth.

My only question is: Where in the Bible does Peter ever claim to be the "head apostle?" Where in the Bible does anyone at all refer to Peter as the main man? It's not there.