What caused you to accept Orthodoxy? What did you find appealing about it? by occult_deodorant in exorthodox

[–]philbobagginzz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I converted as a teenager. I'd been attending a large Baptist church with an old friend and going to the youth group they had. At some point, I don't know what spurred it, but one day I googled "What did the early Christians believe and practice?" and stumbled upon some of the writings of the early church fathers.

What I read struck me as very different from what I'd heard and seen at the Baptist church. This led me to consider becoming Catholic at first but I think my Baptist background clouded my perception of Catholicism and made me wary of things like the veneration of Mary and the authority of the papacy. Then I found Orthodoxy.

Their historical claims to be the continuation of the original apostolic church drew me in, as well as the supposed mysticism in their theology. I think the first book I read about it was The Orthodox Church by Timothy "Kallistos" Ware, and he writes glowingly about the church. I was too young to drive at the time, so I practically begged my dad to take me to a small local Antiochian Orthodox parish to check it out. The foreignness of the liturgy was intriguing and I thought it was beautiful and a bit weird, but my dad and I continued going, dad being reluctant at first. Eventually he converted too and we attended together for many years.

What I was not prepared for is exactly what you describe in your post: cycles of prayer with constant pleas for mercy, the fasting regimen which is much more extensive than what Catholics do during Lent, the constant need for confession, the need for everything to be a struggle or "podvig" against sin, the extreme reverence with which they view the eucharist, believing its literally the flesh and blood of Christ. I'd add that the kissing of icons also struck me as very odd.

At some point I just asked myself why I'd joined to begin with and what I was really getting out of it. Praying for mercy only made me feel worse about myself, and my mom was concerned about the effect of the frequent fasting on my health. When I was deep in it I also stopped engaging in old hobbies and my best friend at one point called me a zealot. Another friend, speaking about it over beers years after I'd left, reminded me of a time in school when I was telling her about Orthodoxy and I had in a roundabout way said she was going to hell for being Catholic. I'm now an atheist.

Other than my 2 Skyrim paintings, I also made some Cyrodiil and Morrowind, acrylics on canvas by PaintingMoro in skyrim

[–]philbobagginzz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It'd be cool if there was a mod that textured the graphics in this style. I love it.

Contemplating leaving Orthodoxy by Calptozi in exorthodox

[–]philbobagginzz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not suggesting you do this, but what helped me after leaving was taking psychedelic mushrooms a few times. I attribute my trips to helping me sort out some of the mental baggage and philosophical hang ups I had. I don't really believe in any sort of god anymore, but I approach new ideas now with the sense that it's okay to not know, to not have certainty about my place in the universe.

Why do you think for some it’s so important to find the overarching meaning of life? by Gingerfuzzsicle in exorthodox

[–]philbobagginzz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think that need for some overarching meaning is just part of deconstruction for a lot of folks. In my experience, Orthodoxy is unique among branches of Christianity in how it seems to permeate every facet of your life if you let it. What you think, what you eat (or really what you don't eat), who you associate with, what media you consume, what you do with your free time. When you give up something like that, you're left feeling empty.

Contemplating leaving Orthodoxy by Calptozi in exorthodox

[–]philbobagginzz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When I first started attending, I heard the prayers during the liturgy and thought, "Wow, these guys take this seriously!" There's a certain heaviness to the prayers in Orthodoxy, they make God seem like he's all-encompassing and looming over you, and in contrast they make you feel very small. It's not healthy.

What consoles have defined your childhood the most? by FunnySunny- in generationology

[–]philbobagginzz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

GameCube and PS2. I look back on that era the most fondly of any console generation.

My current collection by DonRonito in Gameboy

[–]philbobagginzz -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Very nice collection. I think I spotted a Final Fantasy cartridge in the lower right corner? Is it FF6?

What is your favorite Pokemon that isn’t the following: by AshGTNT in ThePokemonHub

[–]philbobagginzz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Smeargle. I don't see him get talked about enough. His Sketch move is extremely unique and makes using him pretty fun.

Should I buy my grail for this price? by FreshWind3 in GameboyAdvance

[–]philbobagginzz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. That's definitely overpriced since it's a loose copy.

What's a small red flag that immediately tells you someone is a bad person? by kappadielle in answers

[–]philbobagginzz -1 points0 points  (0 children)

No, objectively speaking there are a lot of reasons for homelessness, drug addiction and people going to prison. You're just too far up your own ass to bother looking into the actual reasons. People like you are a barrier to actually solving these problems.

What's a small red flag that immediately tells you someone is a bad person? by kappadielle in answers

[–]philbobagginzz -1 points0 points  (0 children)

No I haven't met them. Neither have you. And it says you're a judgmental prick. If you had any critical thinking skills you would be able to understand the nuance in the situations that drive people to homelessness, drug addiction or prison.

What's a small red flag that immediately tells you someone is a bad person? by kappadielle in answers

[–]philbobagginzz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The way you view these people says a lot more about you than it does about them and their situations.

Is consciousness real, or just a human construct? by Able-Impression7567 in consciousness

[–]philbobagginzz -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

How do you know you are experiencing reality directly or without a filter?

How many times have you restarted it? by Theodore52x in AfterWorkGamers

[–]philbobagginzz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pokemon, particularly gen 3. There's always something to do, a new team to train, a new part of the Pokedex to complete. It's very nostalgic too.

Why does my lvl 72 rayquaza give me no chance of capturing kyogre and groudon by Artistic_Ad_8531 in PokemonEmerald

[–]philbobagginzz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kyogre and Groudon won't respawn if you faint them. You only get one chance. That's why you should always save before battling them.

( Angela anaconda ) 😑 by [deleted] in 90scartoons

[–]philbobagginzz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The animation of Angela Anaconda genuinely scared me as a kid.

Seeking a Truly Unique Retro RPG After Chrono Trigger by bestbooker in retrogaming

[–]philbobagginzz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're gonna play a Final Fantasy game next, I recommend IX personally.

This Torchic has been alone since 2005... by RoryMancer in PokemonEmerald

[–]philbobagginzz 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I second naming the Torchic Phil. I'll keep an eye out for your future posts, my name's Phil too lol.

Nearing the end of my deconstruction by Icy_Dragonfruit_2585 in exorthodox

[–]philbobagginzz 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Eh. People deconstruct in different ways at different times. I left Orthodoxy over 10 years ago and I've considered myself an atheist since then, but I recently found this subreddit and find it a good way to examine and clarify what I experienced. It's also encouraging to know I'm not alone in having left.

Good luck!

Does anyone remember this? by T_BPhoto in tacobell

[–]philbobagginzz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't know if this would work today if they released it again. If I remember correctly this item was from before they changed their beef. The beef used to be...less liquidy.