But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. ~ Job 12: 7-8 While lessons can be offered from many sources we, Christians, must take care, in our fervent desire to honor God, to keep His Commandments. In today's society, and in large part due to interaction with other cultures via the internet as well as other media sources, we are becoming more aware of the world’s different belief systems. For me it became important, in order to understand and respect others, to learn more about these beliefs. And yet in trying to understand other religions we do not have to turn away or modify our own. This desire to understand others only strengthened my Christian beliefs. We need not subscribe to the latest trend by making religion all-inclusive; in my humble opinion this can only result in us loosing our way. I began to see this personally before recognizing the danger and taking a stronger hold of my own faith. And as a result I encourage anyone studying other religions to keep researching and confirming the truth in your own.
Orthodox Christianity I have been a Christian all my life, but recently converted from the church I grew up in, to Orthodoxy. It is not my intent here to take anything away from any of the other denominations, so I do not plan to start naming names, or go into why I felt the need to research other churches, rather I hope to illustrate what it is about the Orthodox faith that I feel is so right and why I know this is where I should be worshiping. I would like to offer a glimpse into the treasures and truth that is Orthodox Christianity, mainly because it has become so much of who and what I am, but a glimpse is all I can hope to offer from a convert’s view.
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth and of all things visible and invisible. From the very first service I experienced, and I use the word “experienced” because that is what it was, a wonderful experience. It was a Vesper service by candlelight. All senses were activated the moment I walked through the door. I heard the beautiful chanting, smelled the incense and looked around at all the colorful icons. There was a lot of crossing of oneself, bowing, kissing and standing. One takes a very active role in worshiping in an Orthodox Christian church. And prayer….The prayers are frequent and beautiful. I never realized, until I visited the Orthodox church, that one could worship at such a level. I remember crying, and still do, during the service as I am so moved and feel so close to God. Orthodoxy came to America via Alaska, when 8 missionaries from Russia arrived in Kodiak and lived among the native people in the late 1700, then in the early 1800 began moving into the “lower 48” states of America. St. Herman was one of the 8 monks to volunteer and come to Alaska and later became one of the “North American Saints”. His story is a remarkable one, as are the other saints, and I hope to offer their stories, as well as other saints that offer an example of what we can do, with God's help. And while we may never get as far as sainthood, each step takes us closer to Him. I have learned so much since my conversion and can't get enough as I continue to recognize the truths and enjoy the treasures of God's teachings. I will add to this section as I continue to learn and grow as an Orthodox Christian but I encourage those who wouldlike to learn more about this faith to visit these sites below, where those more capable than I can offer a reliable source of information:
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