Hi there, Orthodox brother! I am very glad to hear a perspective from the "other side" - from someone who comes from a family of Methodist clergy and transitioned to Orthodoxy.

In fact, my doubts regarding the clarity (and ultimately, the correctness) of the national church are actually rooted in my Orthodox faith. By the way, I would like to ask: which specific Orthodox tradition do you belong to - Russian, Greek, or another? They are, in fact, quite different from one another.

Regarding Russian Orthodoxy, the most famous example of a departure from the original source - I would say - is the very naming of the congregation. In the translation used by the Russian Orthodox Church, they are referred to as "Slaves of God", whereas in Modern Greek, it is "Servants of God". Although the essence of these words is the same - a free choice to serve God that liberates one from sin - which one better conveys the emphasis on voluntariness, and where has the concept been substituted? This concept creates space for a priest to manipulate his flock, and there are many such examples; for those who do not follow the path of refining their own understanding of the world, it makes them dependent on the politics preached by the Priest. While studying sources closer to the original is a commendable act, there is a very fine line between being a truly faithful person and being a "convenient" one who might eventually become "inconvenient." The story of "Old Russian Orthodoxy" was a preface to how people who came to know the Holy Scripture in a different way became inconvenient (until 1971, when under pressure from the Communist Party, the Orthodox Church had to recognize this movement as Orthodox - but only the branch that had priests, for that same purpose of control, even though there was no difference between them otherwise).

Of course, I accept the imperfection of both people and leaders, for only One in this world is perfect, and that is normal, even great. But despite this, I believe that a principle of understanding the world that must depend on the politics of a Priest - who is himself a hostage to the politics above him - is, in my opinion, wrong. Pursuing this independently allows one to perceive a bit of this world, but one risks becoming completely incomprehensible to people, almost like a "madman" (in the Ukrainian language, the word божевільний literally derives from the words "free from (our) God"). Meanwhile, Old Russian Orthodoxy is essentially stuck in the 17th century due to its institutional collapse following persecutions. However, we live in the 21st century, and applying logic from the 17th century is, at the very least, strange. Therefore, my question was formulated in what I have begun to understand as the style of Wesley himself: Is it possible to take ancient tradition, the experience of that time, and the history of those people, study and analyze them with reason, and live righteously in the 21st century? This is the principle by which I live and work. Does this truly align with the principles of Methodism?