An Interview with the Mormon Who Converted to Orthodox Christianity
Editor’s Note: A couple of weeks back, a
reporter at the Salt Lake Tribune contacted us on the O&H Facebook page to
get in touch with former Mormons (LDS) who had converted to Orthodoxy. One of
those who responded to this inquiry was Cameron Davis. He was one of several
interviewed for this piece (which is well worth reading). Like all newspaper
interviews, most of what he said in the interview is not included in the final
product. Cameron has generously provided O&H with the full text of his
interview answers. The interviewer is Bob Mims, the reporter who wrote the
piece.
Tell me about you. Age, what you do for a
living? Education? Married? Kids?
I’m 30
years old and I am a stay-at-home dad during the day and a warehouse manager in
the evening. I graduated from Utah State University with degrees in Philosophy
and Political Science. I then went on to complete a Master’s in History from
the same institution. I was accepted to study historical theology at Princeton
Theological Seminary but opted to forego the opportunity. I am married and have
two young boys.
Were you raised and baptised in the LDS
faith?
I was
born and raised LDS in Idaho, baptized at 8 years old as is customary. Both
sides of my family are multi-generational Mormon and both of my parents remain
active in the LDS faith, and the LDS faith was very much a part of my
upbringing and my identity.
What led to your questioning Mormonism, and
how did that lead to Orthodoxy? (What “flavor” of Orthodox did you choose?
Greek, Russian, OCA, etc?)
I actually
learned many of the messier aspects of LDS history as a child, so unlike a lot
of disaffiliated Mormons who today have a crisis of faith upon learning these
things, it wasn’t Joseph Smith’s polygamy, the Adam-God theory, or the Mountain
Meadows Massacre that led me to question. I simply never acquired the
conviction that the LDS faith or church is what it claims to be.However, I
continued to identify as Mormon into my early undergraduate years. During my
second year at Utah State I began taking courses in both philosophy and
religious studies and found that early Christianity didn’t look like modern
Mormonism and Mormon beliefs, in many ways, seemed more to reflect
post-Enlightenment and particular American ideologies than ancient Christian
and Jewish worldviews. In other words, what really made me lose faith in the
LDS movement was that it seemed very much a product of and response to its time
and environment, it didn’t sound like what I was finding in the earliest
Christian records, and its temple theology didn’t match up well with what I was
learning about Jewish views of the temple.
This all
motivated me to see what other modern faith groups believe, so I began reading
about everything from Shintoism to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Ultimately, perhaps due
to my encounter with the robust philosophical tradition of early and medieval
Christianity, I both found the naturalistic worldview and atheism unpersuasive
and found myself attracted to Roman Catholicism. After spending a year or so in
RCIA (an educational course for those preparing for baptism in the Catholic
Church) I decided to be baptized Catholic. However, during one of the class
sessions the instructor said “I can’t understand how any Christian who knows
their history could be anything besides Catholic, or maybe Orthodox.” At the
time I was ignorant of the Orthodox Christian tradition so I asked the
instructor if, by Orthodox, she was referring to Orthodox Jews. Through her
answer I learned for the first time about the Orthodox Christian tradition, which
remains relatively unknown in the US, despite being the second-largest
Christian body in the world. Eventually, after a couple more years of study, I
found the Orthodox Christian spiritual tradition more beautiful and compelling
in light of my reading of history and theology. I decided to be baptized in
2014.
All of
the Eastern Orthodox churches share the same faith and commune with one another
so, although I attend a Greek Orthodox parish due to its close proximity, I
feel at home in the other jurisdictional churches as well.
What is it about Orthodoxy that seems to
fulfill you spiritually, where the LDS Church did not?
Honestly,
my conversion to Orthodoxy wasn’t so much about perceived spiritual fulfillment
as it was about convictions about what is and isn’t true, and what perspective
offers a more persuasive account of the human story and experience. As one
might expect, however, spiritual truths often have practical, tangible
manifestations, so I suppose I might say that I find Orthodox Christianity more
fulfilling because the way of life it prescribes better accords with what I
hold to be true, good, and beautiful.
How has your family, friends, etc., reacted?
Do they consider you an “apostate?”
All of my
family members who know about my conversion have been more-or-less tolerant of
my decision, and those closest to me tend to be more understanding because I
have been able to better explain to them why I made the decision. One has even
considered following in my footsteps. My friends have been even more accepting
of my decision, probably due more to our modern culture of tolerance and
plurality than to the actual merits of my decision, but one of my best friends
actually converted about a year or so following my own. I don’t know if any
consider me an apostate. Nobody has condemned me as such.
How were you accepted by Orthodox folk,
especially those who were born into the faith rather than converted into it?
The
Orthodox Christians I have encountered have generally been friendly and
welcoming, regardless of whether they are cradle (born into the faith) or
convert. When I first began attending predominantly cradle Orthodox parishes
there were some who found it a little odd that someone who isn’t Greek,
Russian, and so on would choose to be Orthodox, but conversions are now
frequent enough that such occurrences are seen as commonplace. Additionally,
I’ve now been around long enough that I’m welcomed like family.
A good portion of Orthodox Christians in the
U.S., and Utah, are converts . . . from Mormonism, mainline Protestant
denominations, Catholics, Episcopalians, evangelicals, etc. How do those
varying backgrounds play out in this new, common theological and liturgical
setting?
One
usually doesn’t see manifestations of this variety in liturgical worship
itself, since these rituals and practices stem from continuing ancient
traditions, though there are sometimes enthusiastic converts who bring new life
to parishes that may have fallen into mundane repetition. Some areas where the
diversity is more visible is in conversations regarding evangelism and disputed
aspects of the faith. For example, those who come from proselytizing traditions
like Mormonism and certain Evangelical groups may want to bring some of the
missionary strategies from their old traditions into Orthodox Christianity.
With an ever growing pool of converts, there is also always the risk that
people will try to conform Orthodox Christianity to their old ways of thinking
rather than the other way around. There are even terms like “Byzantine Baptist”
and “Reformed Orthodox” that refer to individuals who are perceived as
maintaining too much from their former traditions, or who attempt to interpret
Orthodox theology through a Protestant, Catholic or perhaps Mormon lens and
vocabulary. For the most part, though, the diversity of converts has been a
positive thing for Orthodox parishes in America, which in many areas had become
enclaves of cultural Christianity.
What have been the biggest challenges for you
in becoming Orthodox? (Some say the top-down discipline, initial
social/cultural disassociations, doctrines about the Trinity, nature of God,
veneration of Mary and the saints, etc.)
Traditional
Christian doctrines were certainly an issue at first, but they became less of
an obstacle once I found out that much of what Mormons tell one another about
traditional Christian beliefs are misrepresentations. Furthermore, I began to
find the perspectives of classical Christianity more persuasive than
Mormonism’s unique views of God and cosmology. The deeper one goes into
Orthodox theology, the more one sees that everything from the veneration of
saints and the hierarchy are not only important, but essential elements for the
continuing and proper function of the Church.
The
biggest challenges to becoming and remaining Orthodox are actually logistical.
The closest parish is 60 miles away, so it takes an hour just to get to church.
There have also been several times when severe winter weather has prevented
travel through the canyon pass. Fortunately, efforts are currently being made
to establish regular Orthodox services locally in Logan, and there are live
liturgical services online for the days one is unable to travel.
Are you as zealous about your choice of
Orthodoxy today as you were following your conversion, baptism, Chrismation?
I don’t
know that I have ever been zealous, to be honest. You might be better off
asking my friends this question. I am by nature skeptical, second-guessing, and
slow to make decisions, so my conversion to Orthodoxy was a pretty sober
development. As a historian and enthusiast of philosophy I tend to see
Christianity a bit differently than others; not necessarily in a superior way,
but in a manner that makes it difficult to be zealous or triumphalistic. That
said, I would definitely say that my continued participation in the Orthodox
Christian life and the fruits of this participation have reinforced my
conviction that I am in the right place.
Source: https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/orthodoxyandheterodoxy/2017/05/13/utah-mormon-orthodox-convert/
