<2022-12-11T17:44:22.000Z> fishsticks: Hey, I know we haven't talked at all really yet but I don't know who I can talk to about this sort of thing besides /adv/ or people IRL that don't think it's a big deal. I'm pretty sure you're Christian based on poasts I feel like I remember you making and I know we're mutuals so I figured I might as well ask you to read my latest post and pray for me. I know it's such a non-issue compared to what other people usually ask for prayers for but I don't know how to fix my gross nature
<2022-12-11T17:44:46.000Z> fishsticks: And if this is all too much feel free to not respond. I would be a bit freaked out by some random guy sending me this too
<2022-12-12T01:06:20.000Z> JSDorn: I will absolutely pray for you brother. I too am first among sinners, and do not reproach you. But please do not let you sin keep you away from church. The Church is a hospital for sinners after all.
<2022-12-12T08:24:22.000Z> fishsticks: Thank you it means a lot. Honestly, I tell myself that the reason I don't go to Church is that I'm not sure which church to go to, but honestly my fault is that I refuse to actually put the work in to figure that out. I'm scared of picking wrong and suffering for it, but ironically that paralyzing fear is causing me to suffer even more lmao
<2022-12-12T12:58:57.000Z> JSDorn: Personally I'd recommend an Orthodox church. But if you are a lapsed catholic you might want to try going back. If you are protestant maybe talk to superlutheran.
<2022-12-12T18:12:22.000Z> fishsticks: I went to a prot church as a kid but I don't believe in that meme stuff no offense to the prots here lol (though I would be lying if Mormonism didn't tempt me simply due to the huge white families that come out of it excessively frequently, but that's no reason to join a faith IMO). Maybe I'm autistic but I want to make sure the church I go to is the correct ™️ one. 
<2022-12-12T18:12:27.000Z> fishsticks: The Orthodox and Catholic seem most likely to be correct from my limited research but it's honestly very intimidating to just go and pick one. Maybe I'm being dumb here
<2022-12-12T18:15:16.000Z> fishsticks: (Oh and for context I'm not an ex-mormon. Mormonism has just tempted me because all the genuine cute women that I'd marry who I've ever met were all Mormon and the excessively white aspect of it is tempting to a guy in the circle's we're in. Might as well larp as a pagan at that point though lol)
<2022-12-12T18:16:11.000Z> fishsticks: Why are you Orthodox and not anything else? Were you born into it and stuck with it or did you find it later in life?
<2022-12-12T19:26:45.000Z> JSDorn: I found it later in life. I was raised protestant but found a burning desire in adulthood to find a deeper connection to Christ and the Church. I looked at Orthodoxy and Catholicism too, as both have plausible claims to being the original church. For me it was rather simple. Objectively it seemed that Orthodoxy had changed much less than Catholicism, and scripture did not seem to uphold the idea of Papal supremacy, favoring instead a conciliar method of resolving theological disputes. The Orthodox derive their doctrines from the seven ecumenical councils, which over the first century fleshed out a lot of the basic Christian doctrine as all three main branches of the church perceive it, stuff like the nature of the Trinity, the nature of Christ, the way to use images (icons) properly in worship. This was my own reasoning then.
<2022-12-13T01:20:20.000Z> fishsticks: Interesting. Thank you for explaining your reasoning to me. I used to browse the old /christian/ on 8chan a lot before the site imploded to see the various arguments for Catholicism and Orthodoxy but my main takeaway from most of those posts was that the only people converting to Orthodoxy online were basically looking for "racist ethnic Catholicism" or something among those lines. 
<2022-12-13T01:20:24.000Z> fishsticks: Didn't dismiss it as a whole but a lot of the proponents of it back when I was actively looking for answers way back when didn't give the best arguments. Though the state of the modern Catholic church was the reason I didn't just bite that bullet. Idk I'm a dummy lol
<2022-12-16T02:07:22.000Z> JSDorn: Well I didn't join the Ortho church for racist reasons. It's currently doing better than the Catholics at resisting modernity but that could change in the future. Orthodoxy has plenty of its own problems. I'd encourage you to delve into it without political or ideological baggage. You'll come out on the other side and be able to connect the dots again
<2022-12-16T03:08:13.000Z> fishsticks: Oh that's what I'm planning on, I'm more interested in the truth vs being le epic and based lol. Just pretty overwhelming, which is why I gave up the first time a few years back.
<2022-12-16T03:10:18.000Z> fishsticks: I'm thinking about going to an Orthodox service just to see what it's like this or next week. I'd rather not wait to do a bunch of research before I even step inside of a church as it's part of what stopped me last time. Is there anything I need to know before checking one out? 
<2022-12-16T03:22:13.000Z> JSDorn: Not really. I'd try to find an English speaking one though. 
<2022-12-16T07:05:12.000Z> fishsticks: 👍
<2022-12-16T07:05:17.000Z> fishsticks: I'll keep you updated
<2022-12-16T23:04:46.000Z> JSDorn: Excellent. God be with you brother
<2023-01-29T11:26:55.000Z> fishsticks: I feel awful for not going NGL and I think I might be getting a wake up call because of it. Going the Sunday after this one for sure without a doubt unless something catastrophic happens. Sorry for failing man
<2023-01-29T11:37:55.000Z> JSDorn: It's okay brother. Do not despair, just get up again and keep going. Will pray today for you
<2023-01-29T18:56:12.000Z> fishsticks: ❤️