Hello From Central Florida

[FireDragon76]

Hi. I'm a 37 year old with Asperger's and I'm an ecclesial nomad. I was raised a nominal Methodist (I hardly ever prayed), but most of my life I've been agnostic but in my late 20's I had a spiritual awakening, started attending a conservative Anglican church, and eventually found my way into Eastern Orthodoxy. A funny thing happened, I started questioning a lot of things though, particularly some of the social conservativism of some of the attitudes in the Orthodox Church, especially among converts from the Evangelical community. I started rethinking the traditional teachings on sexuality, especially about attitudes many took towards the gay community. I talked to my priest, and while he was a sympathetic listener, he thought it best if I try to find a church that suited my liberal views better, without saying that I just couldn't be orthodox altogether. So I started attending other churches. I've been to Episcopalian churches off and on a few times in the past years, also attending some Independent Catholic parishes, but so far nothing has really grabbed hold of me like Eastern Orthodoxy.

 

So now I'm a nomad. I'm very much alienated from a lot of the Protestant impulse found among Progressive Christians. And I'm not a Roman Catholic at heart, either, I figured that out fairly early into my journey into Eastern Orthodoxy.. I've been shaped a lot by very traditionalist kinds of Christianity that focus on liturgy and tradition... and it's hard to walk away from that. And while I am relatively liberal compared to a lot of evangelical Christians on some issues, politically I am not well represented, and tend to favor a non-liberal kind of conservativism more common than in Europe than the US, where government upholds traditional social institutions, and where individual rights are balanced by social obligations.

 

So, now you know a lot about me... I'm looking for an internet forum where I have more freedom to discuss issues of concern without having to worry about offending the delicate sensibilities of largely conservative, evangelical protestant moderators.

[PaulS]

Welcome FireDragon76,

 

I can't say I know a lot about Eastern Orthodoxy, but your life journey of not knowing where your beliefs actually fit is not uncommon here. Many here, including myself, have travelled through Christianity in a variety of ways and come out the other not necessarily fitting any particular label.

 

I hope you enjoy the participation here and I look forward to your discussions.

 

Cheers

Paul

[JosephM]

Greetings FireDragon,

 

Welcome to the community. We have no dogmatic "evangelical protestant moderators." here that i am aware of. All views are welcome, even those of that persuasion but they are of course expected to be respectful and courteous to those persons who hold different views.

 

With guidelines and etiquette that require love and compassion for all it seems those who think they have all the right answers and refuse to be respectful of others who may hold opposing views usually leave of their own accord since they often fail to find the drama and hostility they often either consciously or unconsciously are seeking. I'm hoping you will find the support and encouragement here to continue your personal progressive journey.you are seeking. It seems to me you will find many "nomads" here.

 

Joseph

[soma]

Firedragon welcome and may you find what you are looking for.

[buck]

Hi Firedragon. Welcome and it's a pleasure to meet you.