Outside Looking In

I mean, most of the churches I went to were great. But the few that disturbed me -really- disturbed me. I'm not used to this kind of parish.
I'm Orthodox so obviously I'd like it if you were to become Orthodox, so I don't recommend keeping the Orthodox Church on the side as a "last ditch effort". Maybe go check one out this Sunday (although it will be Forgiveness Sunday, where we ask everyone around us for forgiveness - someone will likely ask you to forgive them if you go!). I believe Antiochian parishes are the most friendly in the US.

i think you may need to make a serious effort to determine which church you believe to be true first, through some theological and historical study. if you believe that that the Church is true, then it makes it easier to deal with feeling somewhat unwelcome, because you aren't there to feel welcome primarily, you're there for a true encounter with Christ.

i believe that the Catholic Church is true and thus i am a Catholic. i am sort of weird and don't fit into social situations very easily. through studying the bible, theology and church history though, i came to believe in the sacraments, and so i knew that despite not really fitting in, i needed to be baptized and then start receiving the eucharist. after a while i found a group at my parish that meets on thursdays for adoration and rosary and now i can say i have friends at church, but that wasn't immediate and wasn't my primary reason for being there.

obviously i think that you should continue to be Catholic, but more than anything i think you should come to an understanding of the importance of the sacraments and being part of a legitimate, sacramental and apostolic church. trust me dude i don't like the social cliqueyness either, but unfortunately almost every church has that crap. pray the rosary, read your bible, and seek our lord Jesus Christ in the eucharist, he's there even when the congregation is unfaithful, even if the priest isn't good, even if the liturgy isn't celebrated as reverently as it could be.

therealpresence.org/eucharst/father/a5.html

check out this link for a ton of info on the eucharist from the church fathers. it's hard dealing with the social bullsh*t that goes on in churches but you're supernaturally connected through your baptism to countless brothers who struggle with the same thing, myself being one of them. and disregard this fgt knocking on you for being ethnically jewish or whatever. god bless you man.

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My church is Serbian and doesn't have pews but instead a little bench at the walls where old people can rest. It's in middle America, so yes not all Orthodox churches in the US are created equal.

Don't sperg because your priest said something political. The church was never meant to be totally disarmed and unable to comment on political affairs.

What kind of "conspiracies" was he talking about? Don't dismiss them out of hand just because of social programming.

There's a difference between "the priest got a little political there during the homily" and "the homily was about praising something the president said rather than about the actual scriptures that were read today". And I would at least understand a little if Trump were Orthodox, but he is not.

I don't remember, something about a mafia in New Orleans being not all bad. Either way, never in my life have I heard priests get all political, either during the Liturgy or during the agape, until I was in the US. This is not normal.

I feel you. I felt like I really didn't fit in when I started volunteering at the church I've been going to for years. I wasn't "rejected" and everyone there was nice to me but I really didn't become friends with any of them except for two people who stopped coming to church at the times I would go.
The only people around my age (17 at the time) would bring their boyfriend or girlfriend and just talk amongst themselves. The young adults (25-35) also had their own group that would hang out outside of church but they would really never talk to me outside of really short small talk. The older people would talk to me the most but we would just have the same conversation every time.
It's a protestant church and I still go but I no longer volunteer.

You're supposed to take communion everytime you go to Liturgy, what are you talking about?
Most places the priest needs to work, so there is little time for scheduling confession.

Stop lying. OP called himself an undesirable. I was only quoting him in that regard. Did you also miss the part where I called OP my friend? No I guess you didn't.

Bearing false witness is a sin, user. Repent.

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chill out dude you're a deus vult larper, relax

Out of interest, Ashkenazi, Sephardi or something else? As long as you genuinely believe Jesus is your saviour then you should be welcome.

You're supposed to take communion everytime you go to Liturgy, but you're also supposed to not sin throughout the week. If you commit a grave sin, you absolutely must not receive communion without receiving absolution first. The purpose of the antidoron is normally to be given to those Orthodox who did not commune.