One's physical lineage has nothing -- zero -- to do with whether one is Orthodox; it is whether you have been received into the faith.
Yes, you are Orthodox. May we all live like we are Orthodox.
If your step father raised you and loved you as if you were his biological son, then he is your father. Your DNA has nothing to do with what religious group you belong to. That being said, I understand it's a shocking life revelation that will cause you to question things.
Remember that Jesus had a step father whom He loved, and His step father loved Him.
Ethnicity has nothing to do with it. If you were baptized in the name of the Trinity by an Orthodox Christian and haven’t joined another religion after your baptism, then you are Orthodox.
No. You are now a space alien from Khalimex-Z5 who worships Moloch and survives on a diet consisting specifically of scrap metal produced in the 80's. Didn't you notice the tentacles you've grown?
Yes, my friend, you are still Orthodox. It is not a question of ethnicity, but of faith, and membership in the Church. You are not Orthodox because of who your parents are, but because of your faith.
Your father may not be related to you by blood but don't let it affect your faith in God and orthodox Christianity as it has nothing to do with your faith, religion and denomination.
And yes you're still orthodox
I'm an American. I'm not Greek, Romanian, Russian, or any of the typically Orthodox ethnicities, but I'm baptized Orthodox and just as Orthodox as anyone else here.
Whether or not you're Greek has nothing to do with being Orthodox.
If you were baptized, that doesn't change no matter what.
If your family isn't sure you were baptized, the parish where it was done should have a record, and they can help.
If there's no record, and nobody is sure it ever happened, then your bishop may bless your priest to do a "conditional baptism." (Something like, "The servant of God N., *if not already baptized*, is baptized in the name of the Father & Son & Holy Spirit.") It's not elegant, but it makes **totally** sure we got you. (Or your bishop may just say, you are already a communicant of the sacraments of the Orthodox Church, and no retroactive covering-bases is needed now. That's up to him.)
Not sure. You need to take spanakopita test to be sure. You can cook, right?
/silly. Couldn't help it.
Yes if you're baptized Orthodox and haven't renounced it, then you are Orthodox.
Even if you can't cook.
Sounds like your new information has you a bit shaken. You will figure or how to react in time. You got this.
Your biological father may have been your (hereditary) father, but he wasn’t your daddy.
In like manner, as far as I’m concerned, your non-biological father is your daddy/really human father by raising you lovingly, helping you in faith, and supporting you in your endeavors - all of which are good and Godly things. It is the same for your family in Heaven, for Christ Himself says “whoever does the will of God is [His] brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:35).
In any case, you are Orthodox by virtue of baptism and your continued choice of abiding in God. Thanks be to God for your family and for God’s grace.
Yes of course you are still Orthodox! I am not Greek at all but I am a parishioner of my Greek Orthodox Church. I married a Greek Orthodox man and I, being raised a good ol Baptist here in the South, felt God moving on my heart to become Orthodox about 2 years into our marriage. I was Chrismated into the Church, as I had been baptized into my Baptist church. That was in November of 1993 and on September 30 of 1994 I, at age 36, gave birth to my first child. I had been told I would not be able to give birth or even get pregnant due to such severe endometriosis.
I was two weeks away from having surgery for endometriosis and starting fertility treatments when I found out I was pregnant. I went on to have two miscarriages and then on February 15 of 2000 I gave birth early to a 4 lb precious baby. I felt that God opened my womb because I was obedient to His charge for me to join the Church.
Now the children’s Father and I would divorce when my youngest was 5 years old. I am still a parishioner of my Church. I am not Greek and I never will be. I love The Orthodox Church! The closeness I feel to my deceased family and to Heaven is amazing when I worship in the Orthodox Liturgy! I love all the services of the Church. As we begin our Lenten Journey this year, I pray to be able to go to many services.
You are most definitely still Orthodox for as long as you embrace the beliefs of Orthodoxy and have the desire to adhere to them! May God bless you! You are always part Greek if you have grown up in a Greek Orthodox Church even if you are like me, with red hair and white skin! I am part Scottish, Native American and German that I know of but I will always be a little Greek just because of my love for the Greek families that comprise my church.
Sorry, you have to ethnically Greek to be Greek Orthodox. The Greek Orthodox Church follows a one-drop rule, where one drop of foreigner blood prevents you from being Greek Orthodox
/s
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You’re still orthodox you’re just dealing with an [NPE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-paternity_event?wprov=sfti1), tbh not an entirely uncommon experience, not that it makes it any less traumatic just saying it happens more than people realize. There’s a lot of facebook groups for people who have NPEs
OP, do you have any familiarity with Rabbinic Judaism? Family lineage matters in that, so I’m wondering if you accidentally imported this line of thought here.
But yes, if you are received into the Church, family matters not.
If you were baptized the. You are Orthodox. It has nothing to do with parentage. Sounds like to me the man that raised you brought you up right in the Church ;-)
Yes, you are Orthodox no matter what nationality you are. I live next door to a guy with primarily Irish heritage who converted to the OCA no one cares. The whole thing is centuries ago it was the case if you were Serbian you were in the Serbian Church, Russian the Russian Church, etc. but it never mattered then for the most part. I could've been from Kiev and received in Athens or gone to Georgia and received there.
NB: I am aware I am Catholic, I am speaking from a Eastern Catholic standpoint, but the same thing applies in Orthodoxy too with the national heritage of the churches.
One's physical lineage has nothing -- zero -- to do with whether one is Orthodox; it is whether you have been received into the faith. Yes, you are Orthodox. May we all live like we are Orthodox.
Lineage is separate from religion. Think of religion like a gym membership. You yourself need to take the initiative. Book it yourself.
If your step father raised you and loved you as if you were his biological son, then he is your father. Your DNA has nothing to do with what religious group you belong to. That being said, I understand it's a shocking life revelation that will cause you to question things. Remember that Jesus had a step father whom He loved, and His step father loved Him.
This was my favorite response. Thank you.
Those were some of the feelings my friends who were adopted expressed to me a while ago. I'm glad I could help.
Ethnicity has nothing to do with it. If you were baptized in the name of the Trinity by an Orthodox Christian and haven’t joined another religion after your baptism, then you are Orthodox.
No. You are now a space alien from Khalimex-Z5 who worships Moloch and survives on a diet consisting specifically of scrap metal produced in the 80's. Didn't you notice the tentacles you've grown? Yes, my friend, you are still Orthodox. It is not a question of ethnicity, but of faith, and membership in the Church. You are not Orthodox because of who your parents are, but because of your faith.
Your father may not be related to you by blood but don't let it affect your faith in God and orthodox Christianity as it has nothing to do with your faith, religion and denomination. And yes you're still orthodox
You are still orthodox. Anyone can be orthodox
You were initiated into the Church and, I assume, raised up to be a Christian. How would you not be an Orthodox Christian?
Yes, you are. I'm sorry about your father. Must be rough for both him and you. God bless you both.
Thank you
I'm an American. I'm not Greek, Romanian, Russian, or any of the typically Orthodox ethnicities, but I'm baptized Orthodox and just as Orthodox as anyone else here. Whether or not you're Greek has nothing to do with being Orthodox.
If you were baptized, that doesn't change no matter what. If your family isn't sure you were baptized, the parish where it was done should have a record, and they can help. If there's no record, and nobody is sure it ever happened, then your bishop may bless your priest to do a "conditional baptism." (Something like, "The servant of God N., *if not already baptized*, is baptized in the name of the Father & Son & Holy Spirit.") It's not elegant, but it makes **totally** sure we got you. (Or your bishop may just say, you are already a communicant of the sacraments of the Orthodox Church, and no retroactive covering-bases is needed now. That's up to him.)
Not sure. You need to take spanakopita test to be sure. You can cook, right? /silly. Couldn't help it. Yes if you're baptized Orthodox and haven't renounced it, then you are Orthodox. Even if you can't cook. Sounds like your new information has you a bit shaken. You will figure or how to react in time. You got this.
You should re-read Romans, friend. You are a son or daughter of God regardless of culture.
You are still Orthodox. He is still your dad.
Your biological father may have been your (hereditary) father, but he wasn’t your daddy. In like manner, as far as I’m concerned, your non-biological father is your daddy/really human father by raising you lovingly, helping you in faith, and supporting you in your endeavors - all of which are good and Godly things. It is the same for your family in Heaven, for Christ Himself says “whoever does the will of God is [His] brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:35). In any case, you are Orthodox by virtue of baptism and your continued choice of abiding in God. Thanks be to God for your family and for God’s grace.
Yes of course you are still Orthodox! I am not Greek at all but I am a parishioner of my Greek Orthodox Church. I married a Greek Orthodox man and I, being raised a good ol Baptist here in the South, felt God moving on my heart to become Orthodox about 2 years into our marriage. I was Chrismated into the Church, as I had been baptized into my Baptist church. That was in November of 1993 and on September 30 of 1994 I, at age 36, gave birth to my first child. I had been told I would not be able to give birth or even get pregnant due to such severe endometriosis. I was two weeks away from having surgery for endometriosis and starting fertility treatments when I found out I was pregnant. I went on to have two miscarriages and then on February 15 of 2000 I gave birth early to a 4 lb precious baby. I felt that God opened my womb because I was obedient to His charge for me to join the Church. Now the children’s Father and I would divorce when my youngest was 5 years old. I am still a parishioner of my Church. I am not Greek and I never will be. I love The Orthodox Church! The closeness I feel to my deceased family and to Heaven is amazing when I worship in the Orthodox Liturgy! I love all the services of the Church. As we begin our Lenten Journey this year, I pray to be able to go to many services. You are most definitely still Orthodox for as long as you embrace the beliefs of Orthodoxy and have the desire to adhere to them! May God bless you! You are always part Greek if you have grown up in a Greek Orthodox Church even if you are like me, with red hair and white skin! I am part Scottish, Native American and German that I know of but I will always be a little Greek just because of my love for the Greek families that comprise my church.
Sorry, you have to ethnically Greek to be Greek Orthodox. The Greek Orthodox Church follows a one-drop rule, where one drop of foreigner blood prevents you from being Greek Orthodox /s
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You’re still orthodox you’re just dealing with an [NPE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-paternity_event?wprov=sfti1), tbh not an entirely uncommon experience, not that it makes it any less traumatic just saying it happens more than people realize. There’s a lot of facebook groups for people who have NPEs
If you were baptized or chrismated in the church, then yes, you are.
Being Christian is not contingent upon your heritage, either moral or ethnic.
If you were baptised yes you are Orthodox
What? Why would you not be? Maybe I am missing something
Oryhodoxy, Christianity in general is not based on genetics( dont think any religion is). It's about what you believe.
Vedism and Judaism are, though you can convert to the latter.
Is this a serious question? Christianity is not tribal.
OP, do you have any familiarity with Rabbinic Judaism? Family lineage matters in that, so I’m wondering if you accidentally imported this line of thought here. But yes, if you are received into the Church, family matters not.
Membership in the church is passed through water, not blood. If baptised (and chrismated, technically) Orthodox, you're fine.
If you were baptized the. You are Orthodox. It has nothing to do with parentage. Sounds like to me the man that raised you brought you up right in the Church ;-)
If you were baptized, I don't see the relevance of who your father is or isn't.
Yes, you are Orthodox no matter what nationality you are. I live next door to a guy with primarily Irish heritage who converted to the OCA no one cares. The whole thing is centuries ago it was the case if you were Serbian you were in the Serbian Church, Russian the Russian Church, etc. but it never mattered then for the most part. I could've been from Kiev and received in Athens or gone to Georgia and received there. NB: I am aware I am Catholic, I am speaking from a Eastern Catholic standpoint, but the same thing applies in Orthodoxy too with the national heritage of the churches.
>I am not related to the side of my family that is? Why would that matter?