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One thing that has really encouraged me about Orthodoxy is how people treat one another.

When I was a protestant, one of the things I found truly frustrating was the fact that there was always an "in group" that you couldn't hope to break into, in every individual congregation. The pastor and elders, the deacons, whoever it might be, there was always an in group. And the people who were part of that group always had this superiority complex where they would treat you differently if you weren't part of that group. Still to this day when I've tried to reconnect with some people who I used to go to church with, they treat me like they're my teacher and I'm their student, and I don't think they understand how off-putting is is to be always treated like a second class citizen.
Sometimes, even people who weren't part of the "in group" per se, would still have the same attitude whenever they were around people who were not themselves part of the click.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't universal, I still have friends from my protestant days who I treasure because they were and are not like this. But on the whole, my experience of protestant congregations is just what I've described.
When I was Anglican, I was so happy because I was finally just treated like a member of the community. I was accepted, loved, even looked to for help on things. It was a really wonderful experience. And when I was converting to Orthodoxy, I was so afraid I would lose that.
I am so happy however, to say that I've found Orthodoxy even greater! From the moment I joined the Church I've found that our priest seeks to use my talents to benefit the parish. And even when asking my priest about sensitive topics he has never once treated me like a second class Christian, in fact, he treats me like I'm his equal and makes himself very approachable. When I first started attending I was regularly brought to tears by how accepted people made me. I am so grateful to be a part of the Orthodox Church, and to be made part of the community.

#orthodox #orthodoxy #easternorthodoxchurch #easternorthodox #orthodoxchristianity #community #growingcommunity

Description
One thing that has really encouraged me about Orthodoxy is how people treat one another.

When I was a protestant, one of the things I found truly frustrating was the fact that there was always an "in group" that you couldn't hope to break into, in every individual congregation. The pastor and elders, the deacons, whoever it might be, there was always an in group. And the people who were part of that group always had this superiority complex where they would treat you differently if you weren't part of that group. Still to this day when I've tried to reconnect with some people who I used to go to church with, they treat me like they're my teacher and I'm their student, and I don't think they understand how off-putting is is to be always treated like a second class citizen.
Sometimes, even people who weren't part of the "in group" per se, would still have the same attitude whenever they were around people who were not themselves part of the click.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't universal, I still have friends from my protestant days who I treasure because they were and are not like this. But on the whole, my experience of protestant congregations is just what I've described.
When I was Anglican, I was so happy because I was finally just treated like a member of the community. I was accepted, loved, even looked to for help on things. It was a really wonderful experience. And when I was converting to Orthodoxy, I was so afraid I would lose that.
I am so happy however, to say that I've found Orthodoxy even greater! From the moment I joined the Church I've found that our priest seeks to use my talents to benefit the parish. And even when asking my priest about sensitive topics he has never once treated me like a second class Christian, in fact, he treats me like I'm his equal and makes himself very approachable. When I first started attending I was regularly brought to tears by how accepted people made me. I am so grateful to be a part of the Orthodox Church, and to be made part of the community.

#orthodox #orthodoxy #easternorthodoxchurch #easternorthodox #orthodoxchristianity #community #growingcommunity