<2023-02-03T23:20:05.000Z> blaaablaaaa@hermit.cafe: If you're actually interested in Orthodoxy let me know if you have any questions and I can hopefully point you in the right direction.
<2023-02-04T17:05:21.000Z> fishsticks: If I were to walk into a church knowing literally nothing, what should I know so don't get side eyes for various reasons? Outside of obvious things like dress nicer.
<2023-02-04T17:20:14.000Z> blaaablaaaa@hermit.cafe: Luckily most people won't give you the side eye, just hang out toward the back. I think the main thing is just don't approach communion. I've been very fortunate and anytime I was new the people were  friendly and I was able to chat with them afterward and the couple of new people we've had come in as inquirers immediately got to talk with the priest about their interest in potentially becoming catechumens. Some Orthodox Churches aren't the best with newcomers and Orthodoxy moves very slowly.
<2023-02-04T17:30:35.000Z> blaaablaaaa@hermit.cafe: I was an inquirer for nearly two years of regular attendance and catechumen classes so it requires patience, generally inquirer/catechumen is a year long process. I recommend people speak with their priest/future priest about any questions because they can point them in the right direction, so if possible schedule a little time to sit down with them sometimes you'll get lucky and you can do that after liturgy, but these priests are very busy, even the small Churches require a lot from them.
<2023-02-04T17:37:06.000Z> fishsticks: Thank you for the info. I've been interested in joining a church for awhile but picking a church feels so daunting. It's easy to rule out prot churches simply on the basis they're all modernist but once you work backwards and get to Catholic vs Orthodox I just personally shut down from decision fatigue. Doesn't help I'm slothful and struggle to make a note of when it's Sunday and to wake up early. That's entirely my fault however.
<2023-02-04T18:57:41.000Z> blaaablaaaa@hermit.cafe: Yeah I can understand that, it is very daunting especially the first visit, then it gets easier. There is a lot that I love about Orthodoxy but the modern Saints are especially helpful. I read Gurus, Young Men, and Elder Paisios because I had really gone off the gnostic/occult deep end and it was such an edifying book. I like this little write up about why men are going to Orthodoxy: https://www.sttimothy.net/index.php/2019/05/04/for-men/
<2023-02-04T19:03:45.000Z> blaaablaaaa@hermit.cafe: Most writing by Father Seraphim Rose are amazing as well because he was, for a while, a student of Alan Watts and a few other real practitioners of ancient eastern mysticism. Not only a practitioner of buddhism but one of the main translators of ancient chinese texts, in a lot of cases providing the first translation of a lot of these texts. He had a very serious struggle with the nihilism that was permeating the worldview at the time and eventually found Orthodoxy and became a monk.