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Then they get hit in the face with Orthodox anti-Westernism (again, the logical conclusion of Orthodox theological opinions), much like jjp and legions more in the Greek Catholic option [ sergesblog.blogspot.com] get smacked with Catholics' suspicion about the unlatinized form. Then they either go completely native (Fr. Gregory Hallam in Britain), struggle to be Western Rite Orthodox and usually end up pressured to byzantinize the way Ruthenians are latinized, or go back. Exactly: anti-Westernism among Orthodox is a very real problem, but we don't want to call-the-kettle-black. A wise Catholic friend speaks for me: Remember, Orthodoxy exists because of Tsars and Sultans. Its entire reason for being is to hate the West. Sad. The Council of Florence solved the Schism. Orthodoxy really only dates from after that point. Once the Schism was healed, the petty princes and the Ottoman sultans got to work. Once Byzantium fell, the tsars realized the benefits of a non-papal church they could control. And thus, Orthodoxy is born and nurtured. Yikes.  But then, I bet most of us have a friend or two like that. Yet another reason that I ought to be spending more time in prayer. But I don't think I'll pray for your kind of wisdom. 
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I contend that choosing Orthodoxy over Catholicism is idolizing Easternness, even if only implicitly; it's their logical conclusion based on their premise. This doesn't make sense, even grammatically. (Note: I don't like grammar police, and certainly don't like to be one myself, but I have to make an exception here.) You say "their premise" so presumably you also meant " Their choosing Orthodoxy over Catholicism" (as opposed to propounding some grand Stephen-Hawkings-ish theory of "choosing Orthodoxy over Catholicism" in general) but that would not entirely solve the problem, because it would still leave the question: Who? But to add my own thoughts about "choosing Orthodoxy over Catholicism" I would ask:couldn't one just as easily say "choosing (Eastern) Orthodoxy over Catholicism, Oriental Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Methodism, Calvinism, and Pentecostalism"? I'm not saying that "choosing Orthodoxy over Catholicism" is an incorrect phrase exactly, but it does make it sound like a person has a particular interest in not-being-Catholic. "Who" = the Orthodox; "what" = Orthodoxy. Read convert stories; they often do have an interest in not being Catholic, because they were originally Protestant. Shows up in Fr. Peter Gillquist's testimonial, for example. He and his friends did a little homework, said "Whew! We don't have to be Catholic!" and headed to the East, contraception, divorce and remarriage, and all.
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Be prepared for that "itch" to grow, and be prepared to deal with those around you who will act to make it grow by continuing to purposely supplant the Byzantine aspects of our faith. ... I can't help but try to make sure you are prepared to have to constantly fight against the dismantling of the unique attributes of the Byzantine churches. ... I am now contemplating Orthodoxy for no other reason than to live an Eastern faith without a structure around me trying to water it down until it is gone. I appreciate this. I've gotten similar advice from others, and I will certainly be watchful. I've worshiped in Eastern Catholic churches a number of times in the past, and in all the cases there were no detectable Latin influences; they maintained a fullness of Byzantine distinctiveness. The current Eastern Catholic parish I am attending is the first Ruthenian church I've worshiped in. The divine liturgy is essentially the same, with some minor differences in wording; it's also somewhat shorter than what I am accustomed to. There is also the very obvious exception of the Great Entrance being done like the Little Entrance (a quick trip from the deacon door into the Royal Doors). In Greek Orthodox churches the Great Entrance is a solemn procession, whereby the priest(s), deacon(s), and altar minister(s) exit out the left deacon door, proceed down the left side of the sanctuary, around to the back, then down the center aisle, and into the Royal Doors. It is a sublime moment that, at least for me, magnifies preparation for the Sanctification. And so not experiencing that was one thing that was extremely different for me. But the small group saying the Rosary (and quite loudly, I might add; on the verge of ostentatious) just before liturgy really throws me off. I don't entirely object to it. It's just . . . different. Very different. The interesting thing is I can worship in a Roman Catholic Church and feel completely comfortable, even when group Rosary prayers are said before Mass (this is in fact done at the Roman Catholic Church near me). It is something entirely ordinary for Roman Catholics and "fits" with the Latin way of performing devotions. But there's a dissonance that seems to occur when certain unique elements of one rite are blended into the uniqueness of another (again, as with saying Rosary before divine liturgy). It would be equally strange, for example, to hear orthros chants (in Byzantine style) at a Roman Catholic church prior to Mass. The "fit" just isn't there. I suppose my point could be made into an analogy: you don't make a gyro with marinara sauce, and you don't add tzatziki sauce to pasta. Gyros are awesome, marinara sauce is awesome, pasta is awesome, and tzatziki sauce is awesome. They're all awesome. But this doesn't mean they all mix equally well. (And if anyone here says marinara sauce goes great with gyros, "let him be anathema!") 
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Sure, it's hard because you know the unlatinized form, so you feel that the latinizations don't belong.
Maybe your calling is to be the kind of Catholic who defends the unlatinized form while respecting the latinized one.
Did you know that the abbot of Holy Resurrection Monastery (in America, always Greek Catholic, and now in the Romanian Catholic Church) is a born Greek Orthodox? Seems to have the same kind of calling you do in this regard.
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I contend that choosing Orthodoxy over Catholicism is idolizing Easternness, even if only implicitly; it's their logical conclusion based on their premise. This doesn't make sense, even grammatically. (Note: I don't like grammar police, and certainly don't like to be one myself, but I have to make an exception here.) You say "their premise" so presumably you also meant " Their choosing Orthodoxy over Catholicism" (as opposed to propounding some grand Stephen-Hawkings-ish theory of "choosing Orthodoxy over Catholicism" in general) but that would not entirely solve the problem, because it would still leave the question: Who? But to add my own thoughts about "choosing Orthodoxy over Catholicism" I would ask:couldn't one just as easily say "choosing (Eastern) Orthodoxy over Catholicism, Oriental Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Methodism, Calvinism, and Pentecostalism"? I'm not saying that "choosing Orthodoxy over Catholicism" is an incorrect phrase exactly, but it does make it sound like a person has a particular interest in not-being-Catholic. "Who" = the Orthodox; "what" = Orthodoxy. Well, that does answer my pronoun-question, but (from my point of view) it actually makes things all the worse: you are "propounding some grand Stephen-Hawkings-ish theory of "choosing Orthodoxy over Catholicism" in general". Read convert stories; they often do have an interest in not being Catholic, because they were originally Protestant. Shows up in Fr. Peter Gillquist's testimonial, for example. He and his friends did a little homework, said "Whew! We don't have to be Catholic!" and headed to the East, contraception, divorce and remarriage, and all. Well to me (maybe an unnecessary qualifier, as it already applies to this whole post) that is like imaging a potential Orthodox saying "Phew, we don't have to be Protestant!" I.e. the former doesn't make any more sense to me than the latter. P.S. It may appear that I'm about to go into a "Here are the arguments in favor of Orthodoxy ..." so let me clarify that I'm not. I'll let the Orthodox speak for themselves. 
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I'm not claiming a window into men's souls, let alone playing staretz online, a biggish pastime on the 'Net like gaming, I guess. The guy who's still Protestant or Roman Rite decides he wants to be Greek Catholic or Orthodox and is already lecturing everybody on the right way, and even says he has a vocation, before even talking to a priest or bishop about that. In a good Russian word, prelest.
God is the judge case by case, but yes, "choosing Orthodoxy over Catholicism" in general is objectively bad.
Protestants' reason to exist, like Orthodox', is not to be Catholic, so when they discover Catholic truths from studying the church fathers, two temptations for them are Orthodoxy (Oriental Orthodoxy still being too small and impractical to convert to in many cases) and high-church Anglicanism.
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Did you know that the abbot of Holy Resurrection Monastery (in America, always Greek Catholic, and now in the Romanian Catholic Church) is a born Greek Orthodox? I hate to tell you this, but I've met him too. (Okay, I really didn't. I'm just trying to piggyback on Hilary Clinton's superb comedic abilities.)
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This discussion is getting so out of hand I hate to coment. The level of discussion is pretty much on par with the usual internet religious dialogue, which is not saying much and I fear I am merely augmenting it. To get back to Jeremiah...we have to respect his motivations out of his spiritual honesty...this is not about lifestyle choices or outworn polemics which bear little resemblance to reality. I have my own opinions, presuppositions and prejudices which may be familiar to some readers. They are irrelevant in the face of seemingly mature, spiritual decision making.
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Believing that Catholicism is the truth is uncool here, ironic considering the forum's affiliation, even though it's unofficial.
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Believing that Catholicism is the truth is uncool here, ironic considering the forum's affiliation, even though it's unofficial. I "assume" this is to Mark R (not sure since all your recent posts say "Re Jeremiah"  ) in which case I think you're being a trifle unfair to his point, since we have gotten pretty far onto a tangent. But for what it's worth, I support anyone's right to say that Catholicism is the truth. 
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Never mind the "Re:" stuff. If I don't have a quote, I'm either writing to whoever posted directly before me or to the whole forum. In this case, the second.
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As I see it, Orthodoxy and Catholicism are two houses in the same village: different ways of seeing things and doing things, but nonetheless equal members of the same body. And today they are charitable neighbors. I just moved into the other house, not as a choice of one "over" the other, but simply because it is where I feel called to. To put it simply.
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That's treating the churches as denominations, the way Protestants look at Lutheran vs. Presbyterian now, for example. Equally true, just different opinions and styles, not rival true churches.
That's not quite what Catholicism teaches.
We see the other house as still having our priesthood and other sacraments, and all their defined doctrine is ours, but we're not equal. There's only one church. They are an estranged part of us.
They say they are the true church and have not dogmatized about us. Often they mirror our recognition, but sometimes, loudly, not.
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Although I am a proud member of the UGCC, I would never personally try to convince an Orthodox Ukrainian to join the UGCC.
I wouldn't wish the Unia on my worst enemy.
And as for who has the truth, when it comes to Orthodox and Catholics, it depends who you ask . . .
I do see union with Rome as the ultimate ideal and goal of Christian unity
But not as things are today with the Vatican. Ecumenical niceties notwithstanding, Rome has a long way to go before it takes its own ecumenical agreements with the Orthodox seriously.
Rome must move from public relations to altered ecclesial relations.
Alex
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Being Catholic doesn't mean you have to believe the Greek Catholics in practice are perfect. They're very much not, as you say. And we're not trying to convince Orthodox individually. We want to bring them all into the church, because they're still part of us.
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