A little assistance...

[Patristic]

I will be moving next month and am currently looking into all the parishes in the surrounding area where I will be located. My confusion stems from all the different Russian Orthodox Churches claiming to be Orthodox. If someone could list the major players and then tell me which groups are canonical and which are not that would be a great help.

[Oblio]

Stay away from ROAC, ROCiE, Catacomb Church. I wish that Al Green's page was up that details the ABC's of the various vagante groups :(

[The Prokeimenon!]

Stay away from UMC, PCUSA, SBC, and LDS ;)

Sorry, I couldn't resist

Moses

[Patristic]

Stay away from UMC, PCUSA, SBC, and LDS ;)

Sorry, I couldn't resist

Moses
Don't forget to add ELCA and ECUSA to that list.

[Rick of Wessex]

Hi, Patristic.

Stay away from ROAC, ROCiE, Catacomb Church.

Yes! Stay away from those loony "True O" folks http://www.theatrehouse.com/media/long_hair_beard.jpg

I wish that Al Green's page was up that details the ABC's of the various vagante groups :(

Here it is: Religious/non-canonical groups that use "Orthodox" in their names (http://a_g_green_jr.tripod.com/OtherOrthodox.html).

Rick

[Iacobus]

Stay away from ROAC, ROCiE, Catacomb Church. I wish that Al Green's page was up that details the ABC's of the various vagante groups :(

But I would not be shy about attending a ROCOR church. I've always been fond of them, and now that their talks with the MP are so far advanced, I don't think there is anything to worry about with them.

James

[The Prokeimenon!]

I'm fond of ROCOR myself. Just don't get them confused with ROAC or ROCiE - those are entirely different groups. ROCOR is sometimes known as ROCA, not to be confused with ROAC (which is confusing!)

Katherine

[Grand_Duchess-Elizaveta]

Hi, Patristic.



Yes! Stay away from those loony "True O" folks

RickROFLOL!!!^_^ I couldn't leave the picture in the quote because I haven't met my 100 posts requirement, but boy is that picture ever priceless!!!

[ufonium2]

On a somewhat related note, my priest told me today that if I were to choose to attend a ROCOR church in the future (I move all the time, so it's a possibility) that they would have a problem with my Protestant baptism, and that they make people who weren't born into the Church (I just realized it sounds stupid to refer to someone as a "convert" their whole life) get rebaptised no matter what. Anyone ever experienced that?

[Oblio]

On a somewhat related note, my priest told me today that if I were to choose to attend a ROCOR church in the future (I move all the time, so it's a possibility) that they would have a problem with my Protestant baptism, and that they make people who weren't born into the Church (I just realized it sounds stupid to refer to someone as a "convert" their whole life) get rebaptised no matter what. Anyone ever experienced that?

I find this problematic.

Does that mean that you were partaking of the Mysteries of Christ unworthily prior to your 'valid' ROCOR Baptism ? Are you re-Chrismated after your 'valid' Baptism ? Do you have to make a life confession again ? Many difficult questions that the answers, in my mind, would not dovetail in to Orthodox theology.

[ufonium2]

I find this problematic.

Does that mean that you were partaking of the Mysteries of Christ unworthily prior to your 'valid' ROCOR Baptism ? Are you re-Chrismated after your 'valid' Baptism ? Do you have to make a life confession again ? Many difficult questions that the answers, in my mind, would not dovetail in to Orthodox theology.
I don't know. I think he was telling me it might come up so that if it happens I won't freak out and think my chrismation is somehow invalid. There's no way I would get rebaptized to switch jurisdictions. I mean, I didn't have to be rebaptized to become Orthodox, why should I have to be to join ROCOR?

Then again, I'm pretty sure this isn't universal practice among ROCOR churches, I think he was just warning me that it has happened in some ROCOR churches in the past.

[Rick of Wessex]

Hi, ufonium!

I don't know. I think he was telling me it might come up so that if it happens I won't freak out and think my chrismation is somehow invalid. There's no way I would get rebaptized to switch jurisdictions. I mean, I didn't have to be rebaptized to become Orthodox, why should I have to be to join ROCOR?

Then again, I'm pretty sure this isn't universal practice among ROCOR churches, I think he was just warning me that it has happened in some ROCOR churches in the past.

I don't know if it is a universal practice, but every ROCOR parish in Brazil only receive converts from Roman Catholicism and Protestantism by Baptism.

In XC,
Rick

[The Prokeimenon!]

I've recieved the Mysteries at a ROCOR Parish before. I'm Antiochian, and my Baptism was Baptist. But since my Baptism was quickened (or brought to life, if you will) through Holy Confession and Chrismation, it became an Orthodox Baptism.

I don't believe it's an accross-the-board practice in ROCOR to reBaptise people who are already Orthodox, though it does happen. We believe in one Baptism for the remission of sins.

If I'm not mistaken (and I often am), it would actually be a grave sin to recieve a second Baptism if your first was truly a Baptism.

Moses